The Red Drop
by K'onix
Summary: Sunako knew all about vampires...so how did these guys manage to screw it up so much? Now, if she can only convince one of them to turn her in exchange for his Blood Drop, she can show the hows it's really done.
1. The Legends

Hey, guys. Author note's will be at the bottom of the chapter.

Chapter One: Legends

Sunako Nakahara knew many things. They were random things that no one else would care to know about things that no one cared about, but she knew them. Horror was her specialty.

The things she knew about horror would astound anyone. Moreover, the way she organized her information was more than enough to bother others. Sunako's favorite things to research were legends. She was the go-to person in her school, not that anyone ever approached her.

She did find it funny, however, when some of the girls in her class got into a debate over which was better: vampires or werewolves or other things that go bump in the night.

She would have loved to put in that all of their information was wrong. Vampires were not the way they pictured them. They were monsters of the night, and should only be thought of as such. They would gladly rip apart their bodies in a second without another thought. Vampires only had two thoughts: to feed and sleep. They did not care about anything else, they did not wonder or morn the lost of their humanity, and they did not fall in love with anything, human or not.

Her classmates had werewolves all wrong, too. They thought werewolves as some cute puppy; an unfortunate human that would change into a beast during the full moon. That was wrong. They were not cute puppies, and they did not change just during the full moon. They did not think of themselves as cursed, because they loved it. They loved the feeling of power that ran through their body every time they changed. It was addicting, and they would do anything and everything to do it again – even kill.

In short, neither would be preferable to be trapped in a room with, unless that person happened to be Sunako Nakahara. She would love to die at the hands of either, if only to be near one.

School let out later with Sunako still going through her list of reasons vampires and werewolves, along with others, were so misunderstood. People still found them romantic. Well, so did she, but that was beside the point.

She walked alone, as always, enjoying the solitude it offered. It gave her time to think about certain tings. Today, though, she was planning to make a special stop. Her granny had just received a new shipment and she always gave Sunako a few items for her growing collection.

Sunako entered the dark shop, barely missing the sharp knife that she had hung from the ceiling a few years ago as a joke.

"Granny," she called out cheerfully, bright smile on her pale face. "I'm here."

"Sunako," the elderly woman called from the back. "Come on! Look at what I've got!"

Sunako practically danced to the storeroom in delight of expanding her dark collection. There were a few new boxes already opened when she appeared in the room, her granny half deep in new objects.

"Pick whatever you want, Sunako," she encouraged, an equally bright smile on her face. Her granny really got her.

Sunako eagerly searched through the new items. The observed each thing, went over the history of every torture item with the other woman, and giggled at the shiny blades. Heaven really did exist on earth, she thought brightly.

She came across something at the bottom of one of the boxes: a small velvet box. Sunako opened it quickly, hoping that it was the lost ring of Decana - that would be a true treasure. Instead, the box revealed nothing but a small charm. It was a tear shaped charm in her favorite color, crimson. Nothing special, but something interesting, she figured.

"Granny, do you know what this is?" she asked, holding it out for the other to see.

The elderly woman took the charm from her carefully, and looked over it with an expert eye. "I don't know if I've ever seen it before. It might be in one of my books," she replied quietly.

"I can look, if you'd like," Sunako offered. She loved shifting through the old books. Legends lived in those pages.

Granny gave her a knowing smile. "If _you'd_ like," she said, giving the trinket back to the black haired girl. Sunako grabbed the red drop and glided to the back of the room where the books were stacked on shelves in an organized mess.

Hours later, Sunako had looked through a number of books. She found interesting facts, and read stories and histories that she'd read a number of times before, but found nothing pertaining to the small mystery of the charm.

"Did you find anything, Sunako?" Granny questioned as she dropped another box in the storage room.

Sunako's slumped and she sighed. "Only a small paragraph, Granny, none of it is interesting."

"Well, what does it say?" the elder woman pushed.

"Apparently this piece of jewelry was given to Romelia Hopkin, a young English woman. It was from her lover after he was turned into a vampire; he was never heard from again." Sunako giggled darkly and the thought. "I can't make out the name, but the book says that it's his last drop of blood, frozen for all eternity."

Sunako moved her bored gaze from the book to her Gran. Oddly, the gray-haired shop owner was deep in thought.

"What is it?" Sunako asked with curiosity.

The shorter woman went to the bookshelf to retrieve another leather bound book. "That story actually goes along with a passage I once read." She answered, blowing dust from the large cover. Sunako joined her granny at the bookstand, peering over her shoulder for a better look at the text.

"Ah, here it is," Granny murmured as she pointed an old, wrinkled finger at a passage.

"'When a vampire is 'born','" she read, "'it's last drop of blood, usually located in the heart, is 'saved'. It is then released from the dead body. What the vampire chooses to do with it is their choice."

Sunako stared intently at the yellowed paged. So intently that she jumped when the reader slammed the large, heavy book shut.

"Isn't it all just legends and stories, anyway?" she asked wit a secret smirk. Knowing the younger woman so well, she could already see the wheels of her horror filled mind turning.

"Yeah, useless stories," she agreed lightly. "It doesn't happen. A vampire has no use for a drop of its old blood." Still, a part of her wanted to disagree. She wanted to grab the prefect red drop and find its owner, out there in the wild streets. Adventure, excitement, blood, and horror, her subconscious thoughts screamed. Her blood boiled at the ideas.

"Sunako, it's getting late." Granny interrupted her fast train of thought. "I believe your aunt would…not worry or wonder, but do what she does."

Sunako nodded. Her father's sister was known, seemingly worldwide, for her temper and theatrics. She didn't mind Sunako returning home late, but she did mind from where.

The walk to the large mansion was a quiet, lonely walk. Not that Sunako particularly cared for the company of squeaking girls or girl-obsessed boys. The time alone gave her time to think. And with the red drop secured around her pale neck, standing out startlingly, Sunako was thinking. If the legend wasn't true, what was it doing in such an important book?

The thoughts and questions lasted her to the large house that she lived in. Her aunt met herby the door as she hung her dark coat up.

"Evening, Sunako," she greeted with a friendly ease. "How was your day? You're home late. Was it a boy?" She eagerly awaited the answer.

"I went to Granny's shop again," Sunako replied with her own happiness.

Her aunt's face fell. That answer was expected, but not what she wished to hear.

"Sunako," she started in a firm, yet pleading, tone as she followed Sunako down the hall to her room. "Are you ever going to meet a boy?"

The dark teenager paused outside her door. Half turning back to the older woman, she said, "Why should I, when every woman in my life has risked love and lost it?"

Her aunt stared with wide, watery eyes as she walked into the lightless room.

Sunako dressed for bed and placed in a DVD before contemplating her answer. She did think right now in her life, boys were useless. Even as adults, the three main women in her life had taken the risked and loved someone. They had yet to fully-recover from their individual tragedies, so why should she risk her heart now? She had no desire to become emotionally attached to someone who could only break her heart. Besides, who would want her, horror obsessed, dark, ugly Sunako Nakahara? The thought was unbelievable.

After the movie, she crawled into bed, feeling something unusually cold. Then she remembered the drop. Sunako picked in up to study it once last time before bed. Strangely, it seemed to glow in the too dark room. Could it really belong to a vampire? Did said vampire really give it to Romelia? What was her reaction? Was she happy or horrified at the thought? There were so many unanswered questions.

Sunako placed the mysterious object down. As her mind drifted, she had the passing thought that it seemed to move itself away from her beating heart, but sleep soon overtook her tired mind. And while she slept, she dreamed…

Somehow, a bright mist filled her room, and there was a strange dip in her bed. She opened her sleepy eyes to look toward the unusual difference.

A dark figure was perched comfortably at the end of her bed and Sunako's hand automatically started moving to the knife that she kept around her bed.

"I am sure this is what you are looking for," a silky voice chuckled smoothly.

Sunako stilled. Her knife was wedged uselessly in the bedpost behind the intruder.

Fully awake, she glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Oh, feisty," he said, "and a virgin. I like this one."

Suddenly another voice shattered the dark atmosphere "Ranmaru," it growled, deeper, but just as silky as the first. "Stay focused."

"Ah, but she seems sweet…" the other, Ranmaru, whined. "It's been a while; there are no more feisty virgins. It's not a popular concept anymore."

"No."

"Hey!" Sunako shouted, not liking the conversation in the least. "What do you want?"

"No worries, darling," Ranmaru said, sliding closer to her. She could clearly see him, and almost fainted. Dark read hair and crimson eyes against unblemished, perfect skin. Beautiful, her mind whispered, too beautiful. "We won't hurt you. We just want your pretty necklace."

Necklace? For a moment she was confused. Then she remembered the red drop. Her hand found it in a grip. "No. It's not yours." She responded, the glare returning.

Ranmaru was momentarily shocked. "True," he smiled, showing the white teeth behind his lips. "But I know the person who it belongs to, and he would like it back."

Sunako looked away from the beautiful creature. He knew the vampire that…gave it away? "But I found it," she said less forcefully. "I want to keep it."

"This is not a finders-keeper, losers-weepers situation." She hadn't forgotten about the other one, but his voice sent shivers of shock down her spine. Splendid shivers, do her delight and embarrassment.

"Kyohei, please give the girl a break. She's so pretty." Ranmaru replied, his dark eyes twinkling.

There was a sudden movement before a cold hand fisted around the drop and gave a brutal yank.

Sunako looked up. Cold amethyst eyes…_eyes_. Too much. Much, too much. Sunako could feel the world slipping away…

She woke up with start, jumping from bed, and grasping for air. The dream…it was too real. There was no way she could make up someone like him. Kyohei.

And Ranmaru was some one else all together.

Quickly, she groped her throat. The red drop was still there…but didn't they want it? Why was it still with her? Would she seem them again?

School was a dull murmur in the back round of her mind as the day went on. The more she thought abut it, Sunako was easily able to convince herself that it was only a dream. She wanted to meet a vampire so bad that she created the beautiful creatures on her own. It was the only explanation, really.

The young student contemplated returning to the shop to do some more research, but decided against it. If she did, she would have to tell Granny about her dream. Instead, Sunako's best option would be to go home and do some snooping on the internet. The information might be a little less reliable, but it would be a start.

With the plan in mind, Sunako rushed home. She brushed past her aunt with a brief "Hello" before locking herself in her room. She dropped her bag in no place in particular and turned on her new computer. Her beloved aunty got her a new model, despite her protest. Although she really couldn't say anything since she had come to love the thing.

Eager for the information to come, Sunako typed in the keywords into the search box.

_Vampire's Blood Drop_

A number of sites came up and Sunako shifted through many of them, taking notes and rereading passages. She also took time to compare and contrast between sites. It seemed no on could provide proof and the only pictures offered were drawn or painted.

Sunako sighed as she slumped in her chair. She fingered the piece of crimson jewelry, watching carefully as light glinted off it.

"What are you?" she whispered to it, "Where did you come from? Who?"

"I've already told you," that same smooth voice cut through her room. "It belongs to a friend of mine."

Sunako let out a small shout and then gasped. Turning in her chair, Sunako faced one of the creatures from the night before.

"Sorry to surprise you." Ranmaru offered lightly, in a courteous tone. "That was not my intention."

"Ah, don't be a liar, Ranmaru," a new voice commented softly from behind the tall man. He appeared from around him, obviously shorter and seemingly younger. "I am truly sorry for his lies. He gets a shameful pleasure from them." Walking up to her slowly, he offered a pale hand. "My name is Yuki, and I am a vampire. It is a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

So the first chapter is out! Some of you have already read it, some haven't. Either way, let me know what you think. Like it? Hate it? Can't stand the idea? Can't stand the writing? Need more time to consider? What's going on?

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Some of you may feel that they are out of character. My answers to this are: It's AU. The things that shaped the characters in Wallflower didn't happen here. Sunako was never told that she was ugly, so she's a bit different. She's going to act different around the guys because of that, and because they're vampires.

I actually didn't know how to deal with that idea at first. In the manga, she doesn't like them because they're too bright for her, but would that have changed if they were vampires? I think it would change things.

I will put up a link of a picture of the drop in my profile. It may not be up now, but it will be soon.

As always, see a mistake, mention it.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for reviewing. Second chapter is on it's way.


	2. The Realities

Chapter 2: The Realities

Sunako eyed the "vampire." It hardly seemed possible with his polite, soft smile, bright green eyes, and gentle hand presented to her.

"He had to come because Kyohei broke the rules," Ranmaru broke in, his voice smug. Still, Sunako stared.

Yuki seemed unfazed by this. His smile grew a little before he dropped his unaccepted hand. "Again, I apologize for my friend's actions last night. Ranmaru sometimes forgets his manners in the presence of a young lady such as you," – there was a distinct snort from the other – "and Kyohei has a temper."

Sunako didn't reply, unsure of what she could say, but her grip on the drop tightened.

Green eyes followed the tiny movement. "Ah," he said. "I see you've formed an attachment to the charm. It is very beautiful."

Finally, Sunako found her voice. "Are you its owner?" She curiously asked, a spark of wonder and anticipation lighting up her eyes.

Yuki shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, but the owner and I do live together. He is unable to come at this time; he's very busy, you see, and sent Ranmaru and Kyohei to retrieve it in his place; quietly of course. But like I said before, Kyohei has a temper."

"So last night was real?"

"Oh, _ma belle_, last night was very real,"

Yuki rolled his eyes, and turned to glare at the redhead leaning against the wall. Sunako knew her eyes were uncommonly adjusted to the darkness of her room, but it was too much when she could tell his slim form with perfect angles. And the sinisterly dark smirk on his face almost proved just how much of a vampire he was.

"Please understand that our intentions are not to scare you," Yuki begged, his eyes returning to her.

In the back of her mind, Sunako could hear a little voice scream, 'No, please, do your worst!' but refrained from voicing her dream. "Why do you want my drop?"

The green-eyed boy sighed and kneeled in front of her. "As you mentioned before, you are not the owner, and as I mentioned, he would like it back and he sent us to get it."

"Then why didn't you take it last night?" She remembered the other one, the too beautiful one, grabbing it from her neck before she passed out.

"Normally, we wouldn't have a problem coming into your home and taking it without even waking you, but not with you wearing it. We can't forcibly remove a Blood Drop from a person; you have to willingly give it too us." Ranmaru explained, and then shrugged. "Unless of course, you're dead," he added.

"Vampires can't come into a house without being invited." She argued.

"There's a loop-hole to every rule. You'll understand that Blood Drops, no matter whose they are, exclude most rules. Anyone who has vampire blood in their home is basically opening their door to us." Ranmaru laughed. "I use this rule quite a bit. Females always think they're getting a precious family heirloom…"

"Ranmaru," Yuki chastise, "now is not the time for your conquests. You're in the presence of a young woman."

The other only chuckled darkly. "They're all _young_ women," he murmured.

Sunako looked from one to the other, studying them. They were really too perfect to be true. Neither was dressed in a cape, though, so that kind of ruined her imagine. "Why does he need it back?"

Yuki stared at her. "Because it's his. Does he need another reason?"

"Did he really give it to Romelia Hopkins?"

Ranmaru let out a low hiss and Yuki frowned. "That is not our story to tell." Sunako could tell that he was trying to keep the anger out of his soothing voice, but some of it crept through.

"How do I know either of you are telling the truth?" Sunako asked. "What is the importance of this thing?"

"It's our last bit of humanity," Yuki replied, his words calm again, almost sweet. "We do what we want with it. Our friend was never given that chance. Please, return it to him. It would mean so much."

"Can it hurt someone?" As Sunako held on to the drop, she realized that this would be the only time to ask questions. After she gave it to them, she'd never see them again.

Ranmaru came up behind Yuki and glared. "Why do you want to know?"

Sunako tried to glare back, but found it difficult. "You never answered my question. How can I trust either of you? What if you're not his friend, and hurt him with it? Can you do that?"

"Either way, the battles of vampires are none of your concern," he growled. "I'm tired, and I want the warmth a woman, or many I should say, and I want to feed. So hand over the drop, and we shall leave you in peace."

This was exactly what Sunako feared.

"No," she said instead. The tick in the crimson eyes made her sure that her decision was the right one.

"What do you mean by 'no'?"

"I mean, I don't trust you, so no, you can't have it."

Yuki sighed. "What will it take for you to trust us?"

She lifted a dark eyebrow. This was going precisely the way she wanted it to go. "I don't think I ever will. In fact, the only way I'm give up this red drop is to its rightful owner. So either you bring him here or I go with you."

"Out of the question," snapped Ranmaru. "You're crazy. Just give us the drop."

Sunako only held it tighter. Her eyes, burning with determination, finally met his is a glare. She could see the swirls of anger in his ominous orbs and the vibrations in his throat from the growls he was emitting.

"Ranmaru, calm down or go outside, please." Sunako noticed that Yuki did not look directly at his cohort, and almost looked fearful himself.

Ranmaru bared his teeth once more, showing the insinuation fangs, before disappearing from her sight.

"I wish you wouldn't have done that," Yuki looked at her. "He's going to be insufferable all the way home."

Sunako was still focused on the spot the other had previously occupied. "Teleportation?" She questioned with delighted curiosity.

Yuki laughed. "No, silly, just speed."

Of course. Now, back to the important issue at hand.

"So, what's wrong with the demands?"

Yuki stood, towering above her. She followed, standing from the computer chair, but only came close to his height. So far, he was the shortest of the three. She could only imagine how the others would try to frighten her.

"My friend has some problems which prevent him from traveling too far from his home; otherwise he would have been here to properly ask you for his Drop."

"And why can't I go to him?"

Yuki narrowed his eyes, in way of studying her. "You're asking to follow two vampires back to their…lair? That's very unusual," his eyes glance quickly around the room, "though I'm being to think that it doesn't seem that unappealing to you."

"Not really," she answered honestly. "I'm actually very, very interested in your kind."

Yuki scoffed, "My kind; you don't know anything of kind."

"But I want to. Please take me with you!"

"It would be wrong," Yuki shook his head. "Stay here with your family and friends. We'll be back later, maybe you'll have reconsidered."

"I won't." Sunako countered firmly.

Yuki smiled charmingly, bowed and disappeared into the dark. Sunako knew it was useless, but she ran to the window anyway. Lifting the dark curtain, she peered outside. Nothing. No one.

But they were there.

And they were coming back.

The next morning Sunako told her aunt that a boy had rejected her offer and she wanted to avoid him, just for a day.

Well, it was mostly true. She did leave out that the boy was a vampire, the offer was to take her away with him, and that she wasn't really trying to avoid him, but other than those tiny bits of information, completely true.

She spent the day packing a bag of cloths and little things that would fit in the left over space. She knew that she wouldn't be able to take her friends with her, so she sat down in front of movie after movie and said good bye to them.

When night fell, Sunako felt herself getting antsy. When her aunt asked what she would like for dinner, she said that she couldn't eat. Tonight, she would dine with the dead - the real living dead, this time.

But they never came.

Yuki never appeared, with his un-vampire like ways. Ranmaru was absent as well as the other, stunning one. She waited up most of the night, and then thought that maybe they wanted to sneak up on her like the first time, so she tried to sleep.

Sunako kept rubbing the drop as if it was a genie's lamp, and if she wished hard enough, one of them would show. It happened last time.

But when the clock screamed six, she gave up on wishing. Out of bed, she collapsed into a ball by her friends. Her aunt stuck her head in the door slowly.

"Oh, you're still depressed?" she asked. Sunako gave no reply. "Well, I guess I can understand that, but you can't let them get the better of you, Sunako! You need to show this guy that you can live without him! So, come on, get up!"

Still, nothing from the younger girl. The woman's eyes soften. "I guess you can stay home one more day," she said with an understanding tone, and closed the door again.

Sunako was vaguely aware that the door had been opened in the first place. All she could think about was her missing vampires. Yuki had said that they'd come back, she heard him. So, where were they?

Maybe they lied, she thought. They were vampires, it was in their nature to lie.

But, the small rational part of her mind argued, they said they _needed_ the Blood Drop, so they had to come back.

Maybe they just _wanted_ it, not needed it.

Then why work so hard to get it? And why were they upset when she didn't give it to them?

Maybe they really didn't want a human to come with them. It would make sense.

But you don't want to be human…

Sunako sat straight up. She'd always dreamed about becoming the stuff of legends, myths, and horror, but it was one of those fake dreams, the ones you know won't come true. Now, though, there was a chance to make that dream a reality.

Is it what she truly wanted? Yes, it is.

Could she really do it? Only with their help.

Would they be _willing_ to do it?

…maybe for a trade.

* * *

So that was chapter two. What are you're thought? What did you like the most, least, and what went right over your head.

See a mistake, tell me please, and I'll fix it!

As you can see, Sunako's got a plan forming in her head now. What do you think the vampires are going to say? Are they going to take her away with them and make her their vampire queen, or leave her there to wonder? What do you think is going to happen?

Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing.

See you next time!


	3. The Deals

Sunako prepared for her new friends return. They were coming back; she just knew it. She cleaned her room, making everything neat for when her aunt found her missing, wrote a letter to Granny which explained everything (Granny would be so proud of her), and made arrangements to have her best friends donated to the Halloween store a few cities over.

Then she waited, as she had the day before, but this time she knew what she was waiting for. She wasn't going to give up on her true dream just because they bared their fangs at her.

Final deal: If they want the Blood Drop, the owner himself is going to have to take it off her neck…but only if he promises to change her into one of them. That's the only way.

And she was planning on telling them just that, too, but when she looked up from the book she was reading, she saw all three vampires instead of two.

"We thought you might be in need of some…persuasion." Yuki offered lightly, briefly glancing to the others.

Sunako cleared her throat, but only to try to hide the pure giddiness she was feeling inside. "I have considered the options you have presented, and have decided to decline both."

The rehearsal had so paid off.

Ranmaru chuckled, Yuki blinked in confusion, and the other one, Kyohei she remembered, rolled his eyes and growled.

"The option," Ranmaru started, "and I do stress _option_, as there was only ever one to begin with, is that you give us the Drop, and we leave you alone without killing you."

Sunako shook her head. "Not anymore. I'll offer you a deal, though."

Yuki seemed suspicious of her so-called deal. "What do you supposed?"

"I will give you the Red Drop," she paused, waiting for all of them of perk-up at the easiness of it, "if and only if I can give it to the owner personally and you promise to make me what you are."

Their looks were priceless she had to admit. Sometimes, she loved pulling the rug out from under people.

Simultaneously all three said, "No!" in firm, loud voices.

As if that wasn't expected.

Sunako shrugged. "Then no deal. That's my final offer."

From the back of the group, a growl erupted that seemed to shake the entire room.

"Kyohei!" Yuki shouted, turning to hold the other back. "Stop!"

"The solution is so simple!" he shouted, reaching for her. "Just kill her and let's go!"

One moment, she was sitting on her bed watching the too beautiful creature's raw anger and strength, and the next she was in the furthest corner away with Ranmaru standing in front of her. Looking around him, she could see the tiny blonde boy struggling to hold the other, who was clearly taller and physically powerful, away from her.

"Kyohei," the red head in front of her said, his velvet voice full of urgency, "you need to calm down. Yuki, get him out of here."

Kyohei growled again, pushing away from Yuki. "I don't know why he gave us that stupid order. If it's the only way to get it away from her, then that's what we have to do."

"Because it's his drop, and he doesn't want human blood spilled over it." Yuki responded. "The least we can do is respect the request."

"Well, then he'll just have to deal without it - this girl's crazy!"

Ranmaru looked at her from over his shoulder. "Do you understand the importance of this? Do you even understand your demands?"

Sunako didn't shy away from his annoyed look. "I have…never fit in with people." She said, "but I feel that I could fit in better in your world."

"You don't even know our world." Kyohei called out, anger still evident in his voice. He was glaring at her from across the room. From this fierce look, she had to withdraw. "Look around your room. All this stuff you have in here, all these films and figurines, this darkness is not what we are."

Sunako felt her hopes drop. Vampires were not…

"Then I want to learn." She responded. If she had been wrong this whole time, she was going to find the truth.

"Give us the Drop."

"Take me back with you."

"No." Kyohei shouted back. "Give us the Drop!"

"Not if you don't take me with you!"

Unexpectedly, she found his face two inches from her. "Give me the Drop." He said menacingly.

Sunako would have been scare, if it were not for the fact that when he appeared so close to her she lost her train of thought and fainted.

Voices were weaving in and out of her mind as Sunako tried to remember where she was and what had happened.

"I still think it's funny that this is the second time." Someone laughed.

"Shut up!" Another retorted. "It is not funny."

"Kyohei, maybe you should keep your distance when she wakes up."

There was a softness under her that she couldn't place it. Her head was already pounding.

"If she can't even stare me down, I don't know why she wants to be a vampire. She definitely can't hack it."

Vampire?

"No offence, Kyohei," the soft voice from before comes back, "but you're one of the scariest vampires I've ever met."

"No offence, Yuki," it's the smooth voice now, the one made of velvet, "but your scary level is pretty low."

The other laughed. "Yeah, wimp, I'm not scary, she's just weak."

Sunako sat up slowly. "I heard that."

Ranmaru turned towards her and smirked. "Bonjour, ma princesse. Toute rêves sale?"

Sunako simply looked at him. From the way Yuki and the other rolled their eyes, she had a feeling she didn't want to know what he said.

"So, have you changed your mind?" Yuki asked, walking towards her.

Sunako suddenly remembered what had happened. She focused her most defiant glare on Kyohei. "No, I have not. Either you take me back with you or no Blood Drop for anyone." At this, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away.

"Listen here, you little brat," Kyohei started, but both Ranmaru and Yuki jumped into his path.

"She's stubborn," Ranmaru said.

"I don't think she's going to give in just because of your temper," Yuki added. "In fact, if you keep trying to scare her, we'll be here forever."

Kyohei smirked. "Well, _she_ has to die eventually," he said sarcastically.

The other two exchanged annoyed glances. "Kyohei, I think this is our only option."

"Maybe Takenaga can talk her out of it." Ranmaru whispered quietly, but Sunako was able to piece it together.

Takenaga. Could he be the mysterious owner who couldn't leave his land?

There was a frustrated growl. "Fine. I don't care."

"Of course not," Yuki muttered before turning back to turn.

"Okay," he said when he caught eye contact. "We can take you with us, but we can't promise to change you."

Sunako considered it. She could always make the demand later, but getting there was half the work.

She held out her hand. "Deal."

Yuki gave her a sad smile and shook her hand. "You're looking for the wrong thing."

After Sunako said good-bye to her friends for the final time (at which Kyohei laughed), she grabbed her things and crawled out her bedroom window. The early morning sun was just rising over the horizon and she pointed this out to them, worried that she wouldn't make it back to their house after all.

"It doesn't really hurt us," Yuki told her. "It's not a pleasant feeling at all, but we can live through it for the most part."

"Why isn't it pleasant?"

Yuki furrowed his brow. "It's difficult to explain, really. See, we are so used to all our improved senses, and the sun's light mostly blocks them out completely. In direct sunlight, we are almost utterly blind and hearing becomes extremely hard. We're so used to relying on those extra senses that when we lose them, we're entirely defenseless."

"Why don't you go and give away all our secrets." Kyohei muttered.

Yuki sighed. "She's going to find out anyway."

They all continued walking across the large lawn in silence. When they reached the gate, Sunako stopped and turned around. It was the last time she'd ever seen her "home" and she realized she would miss her aunt and all her antics. But, hopefully, something better waited ahead. She followed the others down the street and around the corner.

"So how are we getting there?" She asked, pushing her one bag of necessities up on her shoulder. Ranmaru gracefully took the luggage from her shoulder and placed it one his own. Sunako wanted to ask for it back just because it was hers', but decided against it. "Can you guys fly? Or maybe there's a secret portal. I know that seems extreme, but it could explain a lot."

The three vampires let her continue brainstorming before coming to a stop. Sunako, looking around for the reason, landed the only thing on the street.

"It's a car." She said deadpanned. "It's a normal, everyday…"

Kyohei smirked and pushed pass her. "Not what you expect, eh, Princess of Darkness?"

Sunako had been let down by their clothes (all of them were wearing tee shirts and jeans – things she'd find on any boy in the city), their annoyingly un-vampireness, and now a plain car. It was even blue.

Well, they were defiantly crushing her dreams. When she became a vampire, she'd show them how it was done!

Ranmaru pulled the keys from his pocket and pushed a button. The car beeped and the truck flipped open. He placed her belongings in the trunk and walked around to the driver's side as Kyohei slid into the passenger's seat.

"It's not even a hearse!"

"Of course not," Ranmaru looked at her as if the idea were totally ridicules, "that would be embarrassing."

Yuki smiled at her. "It's not too late to turn back, you know."

Sunako's hand automatically reached for the red drop around her neck. "No. I'm going. This is what I want."

"Well, okay then." Yuki said. He walked towards the car and held open the door for her. She climbed in behind Kyohei and wasn't surprised to see Yuki already buckled beside her. The windows were tinted darker than she normally saw, and guessed was so they could at least see while driving.

"It has that new car smell." She mumbled grumpily.

"The women who gave it to me had just bought it." Ranmaru answered as he started the car.

Sunako looked at him with skepticism. "Why would she give you her car?"

Ranmaru laughed loudly. "Parce que je suis juste que putain de bon avec ma langue, bébé."

Sunako was starting to get annoyed with his random French, but knew the things he was saying would probably annoy her more.

"Just drive, you dirty old man, nobody wants to hear that and the moron can't even understand what you're saying."

Just as Ranmaru replied with "I prefer sensualist," Sunako kicked the back of his chair.

"I'm not a moron, you ass!"

Kyohei quickly turned around and took a swipe at the girl kicking his seat, hissing as he did so.

"Hey, children!" Ranmaru shouted as Yuki tried to keep them apart, "You keep that up and I'm leaving you both on the side of the road."

"Ha! That's fine with me," Kyohei laughed, still twisted in his spot to glare at the girl who glared back, "I can run home faster than this."

"Kyohei, behave!" Yuki said, trying to get him to face forward.

The vampire stared. "She started it!" he cried with injustice, pointing at the now smirking girl.

"She's sixteen! You should have more maturity than that."

"Should have, but doesn't." Ranmaru offered from the driver's seat.

Kyohei glared one last time, stuck out his tongue, and then turned around, satisfied that he got the last word in.

Yuki sighed and sat back. Looking out the window, he felt that this was going to be the longest ride of his long, long life.

* * *

Translations:

Bonjour, ma princesse. Toute rêves sale?"  
- Good morning, my princess. Any dirty dreams?

Parce que je Suis juste que putain de bon avec ma langue, bébé.  
-Because I'm just that damn good with my tongue.

…eh, what can I say? Ranmaru's dirty.

*I do not know French. Translation from Google search. If they are wrong, please feel free to correct.*

As always, see a mistake, please mention it.

Thank you for reading, now tell me what you think. Horrible? Great? Could use some work? What do you think is going happen next?

So far, who's your favorite?

Like this one, the next couple of chapters will be fillers. Just a way to get to know the charactrs before the story really starts. I actually hate reading stories like that, because it feels like it's moving too slow, but I guess that's how it has to be sometimes. I hope you guys arn't too bored.

Thank you,  
K'onix


	4. The Meetings

Sunako continued her questions with childlike curiosity. From 'Why do you wear those clothes' (answer: because capes are sometimes hard to find and tend to drive people (women) away), to 'will you bite me' (answer: NO, IDIOT!). She even asked, 'What kind of blood is most preferable' (answer: a topic best left for later).

Though the vampires tried to keep their answers honest, clear, and void of any annoyance, Kyohei was always two seconds away from ripping her head off and leaving her on the side of the road, and Ranmaru was two steps from letting him. Yuki seemed to be the only one able to tolerate the dreamer in the backseat without thinking of harming her.

The trip took longer, much to their irritation, with the few stops Sunako requested to relieve her self and to get food. Yuki had to talk the other two out of leaving her at the gas station. It was an entire day before they entered the surrounding area of their neighborhood. Houses, ones much bigger than the one Sunako just came from, became less frequent.

Ranmaru made a sharp turn and the car started to slant upwards. To see, Sunako rolled down the dark-tinted window and gasped. At the very top of the extremely tall hill upon which they were traveling, was a very dark, very immense, very beautiful castle with the sun setting behind it, giving it even more ominous feeling.

"This is where you live?" She asked with giddiness. "You might be real vampires, after all."

"Yes, because the place we live makes us vampires, and not the sharp teeth, strange thirst for blood, and ability to never die."

"Kyohei," Yuki cautioned, "we're almost there. You can hold on just a bit longer."

"It's not like she's even listening anymore," The darker blonde-hair vampire motioned to the dazed girl. It was true. Sunako was no longer paying any attention to the others in her presence. She was in the middle of a dream, which involved a lunatic chasing her around the shadowy corners of the stone building with a bloody cleaver, rope, and key to the dungeon below. Oh, how wonderful would it be if that happened!

"See," Kyohei continued, "she off in dreamland probably thinking of torture instruments. I'm telling you, there's something wrong with her."

"That may be," Ranmaru muttered, drained from the day's excursion, "but at this point, we need her. _Que Dieu nous aide tous_."

He pulled the car up the curved drive way and parked it. Sunako practically bolted from the backseat and up the steps the led to the large, double doors. The doors themselves were made of a dark wood with detailed carving around the outside. Hanging in the middle of each door were two cast iron bat doorknockers. Sunako took in the details with admiration. She'd always had visions of places like this.

"Thanks for helping," a voice grounded out behind her, brushing pass and opening up the door.

Yuki groaned. "She's our guest, Kyohei, let it go."

"She's uninvited," he called back. "Takenaga! Get down here!"

Sunako peeked around the doorway slowly. The foyer was expansive and brightly lit, but with a gloomy feeling to it. Immediately, Sunako smiled and felt at home. She walked throw the entrance and looked around. The artwork, she realized, is what gave it dismal vibe, despite all the light, both from electricity and candles.

"This way, Dear," she turned to find Yuki standing with her bags at the other end of the hall, "I'll lead you to your room."

Sunako all but danced her way down the hall, taking in all that was around her glee. Yuki led her into what she could only assume was one of the few main rooms. It was more a ballroom, of course, with a wide marble floor that shined. She could see the ceiling three stories above her. Only her steps echoed as she danced through the space. Turning, she saw Yuki standing near the opening of the grand staircase that led to the second floor. He had a light smile as he watched her. His smile, however, was not what she noticed most.

She gasped with delight. "You don't reflect!" she said pointing behind him.

Yuki appeared confused for a moment before it dawned on him. Turning, he looked at the mirror; or, to be more precise, he looked at the lack of his reflection. "Yes, some of the legends have to be true, I suppose." He turned back to her to see a wistful look on her face as she gazed longingly where he was supposed to be.

"You have no idea how much I want to live in a world without reflections," she said. "It would be so easier."

"But then you'd never be able to see what you look like. You couldn't do your hair or make-up."

Sunako waved her hand in dismissal. "I couldn't care less what my hair looks like and I never wear make-up. There's no use for it when you're like me."

"And what are you like?"

Sunako furrowed her brow in confusion after considering his question. Usually, she had no problem answering the question. Now, though, standing before someone who has had years to think of the question and then answer it, she didn't know what to say.

"I know who I want to be," she replied instead.

Yuki's lips titled upward in the beginnings of a smile. "Who is that?"

"I want to be one of you," she said with confidence, "I know that I would be better that way."

The small smile disappeared. "No one would be better this way. Now come, I have to show you to you're new room."

Sunako rolled her eyes. He could try to deny it all he wanted, she thought with determination, but I'll be one of them one day.

"I wouldn't have to stay here," she commented as she followed him up the stairs. "Just one bite, the sharing of blood, and I'll be out of your hair. Simple, really."

"What, you don't like me now?" he countered with a joking grin. "I'm insulted that you would leave so soon."

"You're fine," Sunako laughed. It was true, she'd gotten used to his politeness and distinct human-like ways. In a strange way, it fit his innocent image. She really couldn't imagine him any other way. "It's your companions I'd like to get rid of."

Yuki nodded. "Yes, Kyohei and Ranmaru can be quite the handful if you're not used to them." They turned one last corner and stopped. "Here we are. Home sweet home…for now, at least."

Sunako moved around him and opened the door. There were a few windows that would let the sun's light in, but they could easily be covered. Candles scattered the room and in the middle, there was -

-a coffin!

She turned to show Yuki how pleased she was with the room he was giving her, but she noticed he wasn't in the room with her. Sunako walked back out into the hallway and found him leaning against the wall.

"Are you happy with the accommodations?"

"Yes!" She was almost afraid that her face might freeze in the smile she was wearing. "Why are you standing out here, though?"

Yuki gaze went down, avoiding eye contact. "The room is rumored to be haunted. It was my room for the first week I was here before Kyohei told me; I don't know if it's true. I thought you might like the reputation, though."

Sunako blinked. "You're afraid of ghosts?" The thought was almost hysterical – a vampire scared of a little, harmless ghost.

"If you think vampires are dangerous then you'd be should be wary of everything else," he warned, still without lifting his eyes from his feet.

"Have you ever seen this so-called ghost?" Sunako asked with a teasing tone, "Or any, for that matter?"

Yuki glanced at her briefly. "No. But I've never had a need to find proof either."

"So, you're not going to come into my room?"

Yuki's lips tilted in a way that Sunako was beginning to connect with him, his green eyes bright in a childlike way and blonde hair slightly too long for his small face. "No. Not if I can avoid it."

Sunako nodded. She didn't really want any of them in her room to begin with, even if they were vampires. She pointed back into the room. "What's with the coffin? Can I keep it?"

Yuki shrugged in a careless manner. "You can do whatever you want with it. We had no use for it, so we put it in here." Her shoulders noticeably dropped.

"You mean, you don't need coffins to sleep?" she whined a little.

The green-eyed vampire chuckled. "It's a preference. We can sleep very well in coffins, probably better than without them, but it's not a life or death matter."

Sunako cocked an eyebrow. "Can I sleep in the coffin?"

"Only if you want to." She could tell that Yuki was disturbed by her reactions to everything, but he was doing well responding to them.

"Great!" she said and turned back to the room to start organizing her belongings.

"Sunako," Yuki called out before she could shut the door, "The master of the house will be around shortly to talk with you."

Sunako noticed the slight change in his demeanor. He was not as calm as before, but more firm and as though he were stressing over something. She nodded and slowly let the door click shut.

xXx

It had been about forty-five minutes before there was a knock on the door. In that time, Sunako had managed to find material thick enough to block out the light from the windows, light all the candles, and make-up her new "bed." She was in the middle of putting her clothes in the dresser when the noise interrupted her. For a moment, she thought it was the ghost welcoming her, but remembered Yuki's last words. She stood and almost ran to the door, eager to see the owner of the Red Drop and master of the house, as Yuki called him.

Standing before her was the only one she could tell was a vampire. Eyes the color of frozen water, holding as much warmth as an ice cube, and pale skin were what gave it away. His sleek black hair added to his dangerous look. He was beautiful, she'd give him that, but they all were. However, there was something especially vampire-y about this one. He gave her the jitters. He was dressed respectively in a suit of black and blue that only added to his lethal image.

"Sunako Nakahara," he said, his voice like a deep, flowing melody. "it's a pleasure to meet you finally. I am Takenaga Oda, and you seem to have found something of mine."

Her hand immediately went to the drop that she kept hidden under her shirt. It had started to grow warm, reacting to his presence.

"Ah, yes," he sighed. His eyes flashed with something she couldn't identify. "My friends have informed me of your request. Perhaps we should talk." He motioned to a small table and two chairs sitting in the corner of her room. All she could do was nod, still in shock of his presence. She'd been around vampires all day, but for the first time she actually felt like it.

He held out the chair for her and she took a seat, her hand still wrapped around the warm charm. "It's nice to finally meet you, too." She finally got out as he took his seat across from her.

He gave a tight, controlled smile. "From what I've heard, I'm sure it is for you. Now, tell me, why such demands?"

"I have dreamed of nothing but your world since I can remember. A part of me always said that it couldn't be true, that vampires and ghost and everything else could never be real. But, there was this bigger part that couldn't let go. I want to be here. I firmly believe that I belong in this world."

Takenaga held her eyes in his, as if he was trying to see the reasoning of her craziness. "It's a world you know nothing about, I can tell. You thought we were something different, something dark. Has your opinion changed since you discovered our existence?"

Sunako shrugged. "Well, it's all a little different that I thought before, but that doesn't change what I want. I don't belong with them."

"With who?"

"With the humans," she answered. "You're different, but I'm different, too."

Takenaga hissed in annoyance. "And what makes you so sure that you would be better off as a vampire? You know nothing of us, of our ways. Every year, some new cult or fashion idolizes vampires, thinks they know who we are and how we live. Even you thought you understood what it means to be a creature of this night, that much I could see, but you don't. You say you don't fit it with humans, but you're just like them, you would just like to believe in your own way."

"Then let me learn about you," Sunako urged. She wasn't going to give up so easily, just because this vampire told her no. "Give me time, and if it's still something I want, you turn me, either way I'll give you your Blood Drop."

"No." Takenaga shook his head resolutely. "You took that off the table before you came here. Our side of the bargain was letting you give me my drop in person. Now, I'm here, hold up your end of the deal." He held out his hand expectantly. "Believe me when I say one of the only things you got right was how dangerous we could be when crossed."

"I want a chance," Sunako whispered. Her grip tightened around the drop, even as it grew hotter.

"You say you want this, but what if you don't?"

"I do. I know I do."

Takenaga kept his cool. "That's not enough! It's not enough to just trust your heart blindly."

Silence passed over them. Sunako began to feel uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her. Finally, he sighed.

"Two months. That's it." He said. Seeing her confused expression, he continued. "In two months, you will give me a better reason than the one you have today. If you give me a real reason to turn you, I will. That's a promise. At the end of two months, you will give me my Blood Drop no matter the outcome."

"You could say whatever reason I give you isn't good enough. How do I know that this isn't some trick?"

Takenaga smirked. "Why care? Either way, you get to spend two months in the house of a vampire. You should just be happy I don't kill you now. You know I could do that, right. I think you underestimate my desire to keep you alive. I could reach over right now, and in milliseconds, be done with this and you."

Sunako smiled. "I think you underestimate just how much I would _love_ that."

His blue eyes sparked with dark humor before he narrowed him. "You're very weird, you know that?"

"That's exactly my point."

Takenaga leaned back in his seat and nodded as if accepting his fate. "Okay." He said with a resigned sigh. He stood and moved gracefully towards the door. Turning back before stepping out into the hallway, he gave her one reminder.

"Two months."

Sunako kept her eyes on him until he shut the door. Two months. Two months with vampires. Studying them, watching them, eating with them. The possibilities were endless. What she could do with two months!

xXx

After she put the final additions in her room (a few skulls from her aunt's place here and there, along with the jack-o-lantern lights around her coffin), she headed out to explore her new home. It was much larger than what she had been use to. She wondered the four vampires she met were the only ones who lived there or if there were more. She desperately hoped there were more. The ones she had the chance to meet were less than…expected. Not that she didn't like Yuki, he was nice, but he was honestly not vampire material.

Takenaga Oda was the one that impressed her the most. She could tell from the moment he knocked on her door exactly what he was, which was how it was supposed to be. She could feel the vampire-ness just emitting from him.

The other two, however, she wished were some sort of joke. Neither of them deserved the title of Vampire.

In her search, Sunako found three ballrooms, four libraries, a number of rooms she couldn't find a meaning for, and the kitchen. It was a glorious kitchen, truly a testament to the grand art of cooking. The knife sets alone sent Sunako to cloud nine.

She looked in the freezer and refrigerator to see what they had to start with and found absolute nothing of use. There were left over takeout cartons and a few items here and there, but nothing to put the kitchen to its full use.

Sunako frowned. She would have to correct that. There was no way she was going to be here for two months and not have a decent meal.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" The voice was sweet, but annoyed. And feminine. Excited, Sunako turned to face the vampiress.

The girl had her hands on her hips and an eyebrow lifted expectantly. She was beautiful, but not the vampire beautiful that Sunako was starting to anticipate. Then she realized the reason the human girl was there.

"So, you want to be a vampire, too." Sunako said while nodding understandingly. She was confused as to why an attractive girl like her would want the same thing she wanted, but was happy to find a companion anyway.

The girl lifted her eyebrows in confusion. "Kyohei!" she shouted then, "Why haven't you killed the trespasser yet?"

"Stop bellowing at me!" he shouted back, his voice booming throughout the kitchen before he appeared in the doorway. "I can hear you. And she's not a trespasser. She's just an idiot who will be staying here for a while. Think of her as Takenaga's new pet." He finished with a smirk.

The beautiful human girl looked towards Sunako again. Her eyes were set in a glare that seemed to burn a hole right through Sunako. Suddenly, she was sure she hadn't found a comrade, but a new enemy.

However, Sunako couldn't figure out why.

"New pet, huh?" the girl said, her glower only increasing in strength. "Why is she here anyway?"

"You haven't heard?" Kyohei asked, still smirking. "She's Sunako Nakahara, founder of the missing Blood Drop. She insisted in returning it the rightful owner personal."

The girl stopped shooting daggers from her eyes. "She found it? You're Sunako Nakahara?"

Sunako nodded. She held out her hand, as it now seemed safe. "It's nice to meet you. So, when do you plan on being turned?"

The girl looked back over to Kyohei. "What is she talking about?"

"She also insisted on becoming a vampire, kind of as a reward for finding the drop. Takenaga said that she'd be here for two months at least, while he makes his decision."

The girl laughed, her bright blue eyes brightening and light brown hair shaking around her small frame. "So, how much are Ranmaru and Yuki betting?"

Kyohei growled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes you do! I don't think you'd even last two weeks."

"Shut up!" he roared before marching from the room, leaving the two girls.

"Oh, that boy," the girl rolled her eyes. She turned back to Sunako who was amazed by how the human treated the vampire. "I'm Noi, by the way. I take care of the house and make sure Master Takenaga has everything he needs."

Sunako's eyes widened even more than before. A human _slave _had been allowed to address a vampire in such a way. These's guys were softer than she thought.

"How do you get away with that?" She asked, confused.

"What, Kyohei?" Noi shrugged. "He's a total pain to deal with, sure, but he'd never hurt his own family."

Sunako shook her head, baffled even more. "You're apart of the coven? But you can't be; you're human."

"Well, I'm not technically apart of the coven, but my family has been serving Takenaga for centuries. These four stopped viewing us as outsiders years ago."

"So, you're not a vampire but not a slave?"

Noi eyes widened again, this time offended. "Slave! Where would you get that idea?"

"You're human." Sunako said as if the answer were that simple. "It's natural for vampires to view humans as insignificant and treat them as slaves. And you referred to him as Master."

She lifted a delicate eyebrow. "Are you aware that you're still human?"

"Yes. But only for a little while longer."

"And what happens when Takenaga says no to you're request?"

"You mean if," Sunako replied quickly.

Noi shook her head and smirked. "I mean when. Takenaga would never change someone."

"He promised."

"That he'd turn you, or that he'd consider it?"

Sunako stopped. Had she been tricked? She was aware that he could say no to any of her reasons, thinking them to be stupid human notions, but would he even mull over them before denying her?

"Like I said," Noi continued, "when he says no."

Sunako shrugged. "Then I'll find another way."

Noi nodded. "Hmm. You have willpower and guts, for sure. Not many would face two months with blood-thirsty creatures around every turn."

Sunako perked at this. "And what about you? You said that your family had been serving Takenaga's coven for centuries." She was honestly curious about this girl and her life. It was the kind of life she'd always wanted.

"Not serving Takenaga's coven, just Takenaga."

"Really?" Sunako smiled. "He's been alive for that long?"

Noi giggled in return. "He's not alive, but yeah, that long. As the story goes, he saved the life of some great relative of mine and in return that great relative swore not only his loyalty, but entire family's loyalty, even mine."

Sunako was fascinated. "Wow. So you can't leave him?"

The other girl shook her head. "No, we can leave. Takenaga never wanted to have someone in debt to him, never wanted the servitude. He released us of our bind as soon as the man died. Still, some came to love it here with him and stayed around to help him."

Noi had started making tea during her story and when it finished she led Sunako to a table and chairs, inviting her to sit down.

"You seem to know a lot about them," Sunako commented, taking a small sip and noted the delicious taste.

"It's really my job," Noi shrugged. "Those of my family line that stayed made sure that Takenaga had everything he would ever need here, so I have to know about him, all of the others in extension as well."

"What was it like growing up with vampires?"

Noi glanced at her. "Honestly, I didn't notice until I was eleven. They were just there, you know. At eleven, I asked my mother why they never changed and she told me."

"And you were okay with it." Sunako confirmed that she and Noi had more in common than she had with anyone in her past life.

"Not at first, no," Noi replied after a sip of her own tea. "I ran away. Lived with some my other family who knew of them but never bothered to care."

Sunako looked down slightly sadden at her response.

"But," Noi continued, "I missed them. Not just my mom, but Yuki's kind words and eyes, Ranmaru's dirty mouth, Kyohei's temper; I missed them all." Sunako noted the lack of mention toward the master, and briefly wondered what the reason was before deciding that she didn't care.

"So, what's the story behind the red drop?" Sunako asked, lifting the necklace to the light hanging from the ceiling. The light outlined the drop, making the color look darker.

"No one knows for sure," Noi then said. Sunako noticed that she was looking at the wall, a far away look in her eyes. "The story I've been told is that that Romelia Hopkins—"

"She's real?" Sunako interrupted.

"Unfortunately," Noi replied. "She's the one that changed Takenaga."

"But I heard that he loved her," Sunako argued. "I also heard that she was human."

Noi nodded. "He did love her, and she wasn't human; he was. He loved her so much he ignored her oddities. See, the legend that had been spread was that they were in love, he was turned and so they couldn't be together, and as a reminder he gave her is Blood Drop, the last piece of his humanity. However, the story that we're told is much different.

He thought he was in love with her. She new and different and beautiful. It was only after he declared his love for her in front of his family, telling that he was going to marry her, that she let her real intentions show."

"She was after his money?" Sunako guessed, unable to stay quiet.

Noi shook her head and gave her a look that suggested she'd better wait. "No, she was after something more important.

His family was alarmed. At that time, they had arranged a marriage for him. Takenaga, though, wouldn't hear of it. He wanted no one but Romelia. His family agreed, but he was so happy that he also didn't noticed their easy approval.

The night before their wedding, his family had someone sent to her room, with the intent to have her killed. That was their plan – to kill her" –Noi giggled at the thought— "but they had no idea what they were up against. That night, Romelia slaughter his entire family, even his older sister whom he adored.

She came for him last. Instead of killing him, though, she changed him. Takenaga didn't know what was happening until he couldn't stop it. And after that, he saw was she did. She tried to play it off as if she had no other choice, but he finally saw her for who she really was. For that, for everything she did that night, he hated her.

It seemed to be Romelia's original plan. She had been going around changing men who loved her for a while, then leaving them when she was done. Takenaga, however, left her first, and she never got over it. It wasn't until later that he realized she took his drop; he didn't know anything about it until another vampire told him."

Sunako stared wide-eyed, completely captivated by the story. "That is so much better than that stupid love story in my book."

Noi smirked. "As the story goes, centuries later they met up again. He was walking down the street when he saw her on the arm of another boy, and with his drop hanging from her neck along with others. He saw himself in that boy, and knew he had to stop her from stealing more lives as she stole his.

He followed them, waited, and finally when he caught her alone he made his move. They 'clashed,' as it was called. Apparently, they got too close to the city or disrupted the home of a witch; the actual detail was lost with time. She questioned their motives and she decided tor curse them to a house on opposite ends of the earth and hid his drop away. She said that which ever one got the drop first had their freedom."

The listener furrowed her brow. "But why is he being punished? He didn't do anything wrong."

Noi shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it doesn't actually matter, he's stuck here either way. He had a hard time before my family came along. Nobody made deliveries to this house back then." She giggled.

"How'd he save their life?"

"Cold night, he was sick with no where to go, found his way to the front gate." Noi explained simply. "At that time, people thought that this place was cursed or that a monster lived here; they had no idea how right they were, though. It had been a while since Takenaga had talked to anyone, so when he found the wander, he asked if he wanted a place to stay the night."

Noi laughed. "He claims it was for his own selfish reasons that he allowed the strange man in his home—his own need for some contact with the outside world and not to save the man's life, but we all know differently. Takenaga would never let someone die like that. He won't go out of his way to save someone, but he won't just someone die if he could help."

Sunako sat back and took it all in. It changed her opinion on vampires. Romelia sounded as if she was the perfect example of what a vampire should be, but there was something about the other one that couldn't be denied, despite his somewhat noble impression.

"And the others?" Sunako urged, hoping to get her to continue her stories.

"There's not much to tell." Noi sighed. "Yuki was a good kid from a small, modest family walking home one night when he was caught by a vampire who was just after a meal, but was interrupted. I don't know how he found Takenaga, but he stayed because he wasn't doing very well in their world. Yuki's not one to fight, so he was a target. Takenaga offers a certain amount of protection, as well as Ranmaru and Kyohei. Nobody ever messes with the three of them, and they'd never let anyone mess with Yuki.

Ranmaru jokes that he was a vampire's sex slave, but I don't know if any of that's true, you know. He always says things like that, and I can't ever tell if he's lying or not. My mom could, though; she had a closer relationship with him than I have. Although, I'm not sure if I'd want to know the truth about him.

Kyohei just showed up one day. They had all heard of him, of course. The vampire world is relatively small and rumors fly fast; rumors about Kyohei fly even faster. Yuki tells me that Takenaga had an odd fascination with him. You'll see that they have a weird, but somewhat brotherly relationship. It's very annoying."

After she finished, the two girls talked bit about nothing important before Noi said her good nights and headed out of the kitchen. Sunako walked back to her new room with a thrilled beam on her face. The stories she had heard made her renewed her excitement for her stay with the vampires.

As she snuggled into her coffin and blew out her bed side candle, she wondered how she was going to convince them to let her stay, as she already knew there was no way she could go back to her old life.

xXx

The next morning, Sunako lifted the top off the casket and stretched. Sleeping in there had been more comfortable that she could ever have imagined. Now, more than ever, she wished her aunt had let her get one years' ago.

She wandered down to the kitchen to see what she could have before shopping. Sunako had already determined to go shopping with Noi. She was sure there was a thing or two she could teach her about cooking, which reminded her to ask whether the vampires ate too. There was just so much to learn, and Sunako was eager for every bit of it.

Surprise hit her as she entered the room. Sitting at the table with a handle gaming system was Yuki, dressed as always in the most casual cloths.

"You're up earlier than I expected," she commented, heading over to the cabinets. From the corner of her eye, she could see him glance at the clock on the wall.

"It's noon," he replied.

"I know."

Yuki laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you even more, but vampires are not strictly natural creatures."

"I realized that when you picked me up yesterday, but I was hoping that it would be most preferred."

"It is," Yuki nodded, turning the game off and setting it down. Watching him, Sunako couldn't help but see him as nothing more than a teenage boy who could have possibly went to her school. It sent a wave of exasperation through her before she focused. She knew he was vampire, but she just couldn't see it in him. Hopefully, he would do something soon that would obliterate all of her doubts.

"Then why are you up?"

"Because the day's activities require daytime hours," he answered cheerfully.

Sunako seemed weary. What business could a vampire have during the day?

"Me and you are going to volunteer at the nursing home in town." He clarified, giving her a wide smile that made him look even younger and more human. Sunako couldn't help it.

She groaned.

Yuki was never going to be the vampire of her dreams.

* * *

So this was actually chapter 4 and 5, which I put together for some reason. That's why it's longer...don't expect it to happen a lot.

Que Dieu nous aide tous - May God help us all.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as all ways, if you see a mistake let me know. Let me know what you think, too. If it's just an idea about what's going to happen or what you think about Takenaga's story, I'd love to know your thoughts. Leave me a review.

Thank you for reading and reviewing. See you in a week, hopefully.

Oh, and I re-did my free-webs site. Right now it only has a few pictures from _The Red Drop_ up there, so if you want to check that out, link is in my profile.


	5. The Differences

Yuki drove both of them to the nursing home in town. His car, unlike Ranmaru's shiny new blue car, was older. The only notable thing to Sunako was its shiny paint job which made the whole car completely black, from the dark tinted windows to the hubcaps. Inside was like a cave, the dim light from the dashboard being the only light.

He quickly found a parking spot and slipped in with easy. Placing a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, he glided around and opened her door before she could get it unlocked.

Sunako shot him a look. "You don't always have to do that." She wasn't genuinely mad, though. In fact, even if he didn't seem like a vampire, he was and he had just opened the door for her. It was probably one of the best moments of her life. Now, had it been Takenaga, she might have forgotten to breathe.

Yuki simply smiled. "You'll have to deal with it. Being in the company of a lady is not something I get to do often, besides Noi, so I enjoy it when I am." He commented as he led her to the front doors.

"I'm sure you've realized by now that I'm not exactly a lady," she replied. "I was supposed to start classes in two weeks, though. So I guess you saved me from that."

"Classes?" Yuki asked, lifting an eyebrow. They made it to the front door and Sunako reached out to grab the handle before he could, but Yuki got there first with a wily smile.

"My aunt's doing," Sunako said as she walked though the lobby. "She's convinced that if I don't, I'll grow up to be an ugly old hag, unhappy with a lifetime of regrets."

"And you're sure that you won't?"

Sunako looked at him. "Yes." She said, assuredly.

Yuki watched her for a moment. Sunako could identify what he was looking for, as his eyes gave nothing away. Chills went down her spine when she realized for the first time, she didn't know what he was thinking.

"Yuki, dear!"

Quicker than he usually moved, Yuki snapped his head to the left. There was an older woman walking towards them, arms stretched out, inviting him in for a hug. Yuki's smile was effortless as she folded him into her.

"Hello, Mother. How are you today?" Sunako's eyebrows rose in question at his response.

"I'm doing good," the woman laughed and gestured to Sunako. "But I see you've brought a friend."

"Yes," Yuki smiled, "This is Sunako Nakahara. She's my roommate's cousin and I've invited her to come along so that she's not hanging around the house all day; you know how he is."

"Well, the more the merrier." The woman offered Sunako a hand. "I'm Hikari Takahashi, but everyone around here just calls me Mom. I am the manager of this home. Welcome."

Sunako took her hand and nodded in return, uncertain of what to say. "Thank you."

"Yuki comes here every week and helps out, even if it's only for thirty minutes. And all the patients love him. Especially the woman here," she finished with a wink. "It's not hard to see why. Such a cute boy."

Again, Sunako nodded. She couldn't say that Yuki was unattractive at all, but he wasn't exactly the most attractive…boy she'd met recently.

"Well, Mother, what do you need us to do today?"

"Just the usual, darling. Go make the rounds. I hear Kaede was asking about you earlier."

"Then she will be our first stop," Yuki laughed. He waved goodbye and led Sunako down the hall.

The building was bright, and there were people of all ages walking up and down the hallways. She got distracted by noises from inside the rooms she passes, some not so pleasant. She could here the ragged voices from vocal cords that were over-used. She tried hard to keep up with Yuki's familiar and confident path, feeling uncomfortable and out of place. She looked up to find that Yuki's eyes were closed. It was then that she remembered his words from before and why he was allowed to go out during the day.

"Can you even see right now?" she whispered as to not alert anyone else.

Yuki stopped and smiled. "It's not so bad at this time, now that we're inside, but it's not comfortable. "

Sunako looked around uncertainly. "If it's not comfortable then why do you do this? Do you have a family member here? Are you that young?"

As Yuki opened his eyes, Sunako was shocked to see how his normal bright green eyes had darkened considerably, and the pupils pulled into slits. She'd seen the other two vampires look like this before, but this was Yuki.

"You'll understand why we're here soon." With that, he closed his eyes and continued. Sunako took one last glance behind her as they walked. It seemed no one else had noticed their exchange, and fact that both excited her and added to her curiosity.

Finally, he came to a room and poked his head inside.

"Hello," he called out cheerfully.

"Yuki!" The voice that responded was surprisingly young.

Yuki smiled and opened the door wider. "Oh, Sakuno! You're here. It's so good to see you again."

Sunako only had a second to the small body of a girl wearing a pink dress hurl herself into Yuki, who caught her with ease.

"Yeah. I was hoping I'd get to see you." The girl said.

"Silly Girl, let him walk through the door before you latch on to him."

Sunako looked up to see a middle-aged woman holding a small child and one lying in a bed. Time had taken hold of her face, but her eyes still had a bright youngness about them. There was a soft smile on her face as she gazed at the girl.

Yuki beamed at them. "That's all right; no harm done."

"Yuki, sweetheart," the older woman said and held out her arms in a gesture Sunako was sure she was going to associate with Yuki forever. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me, too," he said. "Let me introduce my friend, Sunako. She's joining me today."

Sunako was still standing in the doorway, feeling odd for coming in on what was clearly a family moment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sunako." The middle-aged woman said, shifting the child in her arms again. "I'm Kyoko, this is my mom, Kaede, and my two children."

"I'm Sakuno!" the girl shouted with pleasure from her place by Yuki. She had his arm wrapped tightly with both of hers, though he didn't seem to mind the least.

For the next half hour, Yuki talked happily with the two women in room and the young girl while Sunako stood by the door. She felt awkward, as if she were intruding on a family moment. She watched as Yuki took a seat by the woman in the bed and seemed right at home with them. She even smiled as the girl laughed loudly at something he said. It was clear that she had a large crush on him, and Sunako wasn't surprised. If any one were going to have a crush on Yuki, it would be the younger crowd.

"Well," Yuki finally said as he stood, patting the girl on the head, "it's time that we get going. There are a few others I promised to see today. It was nice talking to you, Kaede. And Kyoko, it was good to see you again."

"Aw!" the girl whined, grabbing a hold of him. "You don't have to go do you, Yuki? Stay a little longer! Please!"

"Sakuno, let him go right now," her mother said with a laugh. "Sorry, Yuki, she's pretty taken with you."

Yuki gave one of his sweet smiles. "It's no problem." Turning back to the girl he said, "I'm taken with her, too."

The girl blushed.

"But I really do have to go," he said softly. "I promise you'll see me next time, okay."

The girl let go of his arm. "Okay," she sighed.

"Good girl." Yuki walked towards Sunako and nodded towards the door. "Bye."

As soon as they were away from the room, Sunako laughed. "I was afraid she wasn't going to let you leave."

Yuki nodded. "Yeah, she does that every time. I feel sorry for her."

"Why?"

Yuki's head shifted towards her. "Because I lied to her."

Sunako blinked, trying to go over the conversation in her mind. True, he hadn't told them that he wasn't a vampire, but they hadn't asked. "When did you lie to her?"

A small mischievous smile that Sunako had never seen on him before grew on Yuki's lips, but he didn't answer her question. In stead, he led her into another room, this one less crowd. He spoke briefly with a man who had no visitors. After that, they went to yet another room where Yuki organized pictures for a woman who talked about her great-grandchildren the entire time.

Sunako didn't know how much more she could take after the last visit. She hadn't known what to expect from Yuki, but spending the day with old people wasn't what had popped into her head.

Yuki turned to her as they left the woman's room. "We have one last stop," he said.

Sunako was thankful. What she wanted to do was go back to the castle and wander around some more. They walked into a room and Sunako was shocked to see Kaede asleep in the bed. She was about to point this out when Yuki shut and locked the door behind her, confusing her even more. The click of the lock caused the woman to stir and she lifted her even eyelids.

"Yuki?" she question, her voice groggy from sleep and age, "Did you forget something?"

Yuki turned and Sunako saw something different in his eyes and the shift in the way he carried himself. Truthfully, she felt a tiny bit of exhilaration before reality sent it.

Yuki looked like a predator.

Sunako knew what it meant, but she was shocked. Of course she knew that Yuki was a vampire and it meant that he had to feed, and it was how he was supposed to look, but she couldn't help but back away from him as he approached the woman in the bed.

"Shh," he whispered, "Go back to sleep. It will all be over soon."

The woman sat up as much as she could. "Yuki, what are you doing!" She reached for the controller by her bedside, but Yuki placed it out of her reach. "Yuki, I don't understand. What's possessed you?"

For a moment, Sunako wanted to bolt for the door and call for help, but she stood rooted in place, watching as Yuki took the woman's arm. She tried to fight him off, but even with his lightest hold, she was much too weak. He put his free hand over her eyes.

"Sleep," he commanded. The woman stopped struggling and sagged against the pillows.

Yuki angled himself into Sunako's view and pierced her with a stare. His eyes were dark; there was nothing sweet or soft about them. He pulled the arm, with its creased loose-fitted skin, to his mouth and with one last glare, bit down into it.

The woman let out a painful squeal, almost as if she couldn't scream. Sunako stared at Yuki as he added more pressure, a small trail of blood flowing down to the sheets and spreading there. She was fixated on him as he feed, draining the woman of her life.

For a moment, he stopped. The woman, visibly paler, relaxed the tiniest bit. Yuki lifted his head and his tongue swept across his lips. Sunako became aware of his two elongated incisors as his upper lip curled and he ducked back into the arm at a different place.

Sunako wasn't aware of how long they were there. Time seemed to freeze as she waited, standing as still as possible. She didn't know the feeding habits of vampires. What if she moved and he in, his blood lust controlled mind, attacked her. Apart of her wanted to find out, but a bigger apart of her wanted to finish what she started.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Yuki pulled away and sighed. It was a satisfied, full sigh and Sunako wondered if this meant he was done.

"Don't worry," he said with a chuckle. Sunako looked up to find him gazing at her. His voice was deeper and his eyes were still dark, and he was still holding himself differently. If was as if he were suddenly a completely different person. "She's not completely drained."

Sunako blinked. "She's not?" They had been standing there for what felt like a long time.

"No, silly. I can't have people wondering how the old woman ran out of blood, now can I?"

She glanced down at the sheet covered in blood. How was he going to explain that? "No, I guess not." The blood was beautiful in the way it stood out against the pure whiteness. Lying across the dead woman, it almost looked like a piece of art; images like this reminded her of why she loved looking at it.

"All right, let's go Sunako."

Sunako followed the vampire out of the room and back down the hall. No body stopped them, or even looked at them. No body had any clue as to what had just happened in there. They reached the front doors as Yuki slipped on his dark glasses and opened the door for her.

Before shut behind her, she heard someone scream.

xXx

The drive back had been quiet. Sunako was stuck in her own thoughts, wondering how she felt about what she'd seen.

"You–you had just talked her granddaughter. That little girl…" Sunako trailed off.

"I told her I had lied to her," Yuki replied lightly.

Sunako looked at him. "You stood that room, laughing and smiling with that family, all the while knowing you were going to kill her?"

"I knew I was going to kill her when I woke up."

"Then why would you even…I don't get it," Sunako argued, "Why would you get close to people that you know you're going to end up killing?"

"Because I can't just randomly show up at places and expect them to let me stroll around unattended. Besides, do you believe she was going to live until the morning?"

"What? You mean…"

"She was going to die tonight without my help. I just saved her a few hours of suffering."

Maybe he wasn't so bad… "But still, do you have to get close to them?"

"Again, I can't just wander around doing nothing when I visit. I talk to the people there, it's makes them feel better. Some of them don't have families that come often. I'm doing them favors."

Sunako stared at him. He hadn't changed back into the Yuki that she was used to. He was still hard and dark, and undeniable vampire.

By then they had reached the mansion and Yuki was already opening her door. She followed him inside to the stairs.

"Hey guys, what have you been up to–Yuki, what have you done?" Noi's eyes were wide as she stood on the stairs above them, gaping at them.

Yuki didn't answer. He brushed passed her and headed down the hall.

Noi turned back to Sunako. "Did he…"

"He feed off an old woman after sitting with her family and hugging her grandchild." Sunako admitted, not sure how else to say it. Apart of her was still in shock. She hadn't imagined that the first time she watched a vampire feed, it would be like that. She didn't think it would be him. "He's like a different person."

Noi's shoulders sagged as she sighed. She walked the rest of the way to Sunako and pulled her along. They headed down a hall on the first floor that Sunako hadn't been down yet. Opening one of the many doors, she invited her in. Upon examination, Sunako realized that it was probably Noi's room. It was bright and open with colorful decorations and light, airy furniture.

"Ranmaru and Kyohei wear their vampirism like a shield. Most of the time, I'm surprised that people don't notice right away. I mean, people notice they're different, but they don't really understand." Noi started as she sat down on a small couch, patting a spot for Sunako to sit. "Yuki, on the other hand, tries very hard to hide it. It's like he has a split personality, and just thinking of feeding brings out his other side."

Sunako lifted an eyebrow. "Isn't suppose to be like that?"

"Yuki's a bit different, though. Like I said, the others use it like a shield; they don't completely hide what they are at all. Yuki…well, if I didn't know any better, I would never guess that he could be a vampire."

Sunako nodded in understanding, recognizing she felt the same way.

"Remember how I told you that Yuki was an accident for the most part – he wasn't meant to be changed? Well, I think vampires turn those who they think can handle it. Yuki was never the type of person who could handle it, but if he didn't do something, was he was going to starve. Vampires don't starve to death, they just starve.

"What I think happened, was he developed another personality, one that could handle the thought of killing; one that could drink another person's blood. When he's ready to feed, it's the one that takes over."

"Does Yuki remember?"

Noi's smile was weak and she gave a humorless laugh. "This is just a theory. I don't actually know if it's true or not, but I do know he knows what's going on all the time. He knows who he kills."

Sunako blinked, taking it all in. She didn't know if she should confess to Noi about liking this "vampire-Yuki," but she did a little bit. She also rather liked the other one, which surprised her, as she usually didn't care for people like him; they were squeamish.

"How does he get away with it?" She asked, curiosity winning out all of her other thoughts. "Does he do this at other places?"

Noi shook her head. "Not that I know of. I know that he has a system that works, but I couldn't tell you what it is. I've never been interested enough to ask, but he might tell you if you wanted to know."

Sunako looked at her, surprised that she was answering all of her questions so easily. "Why does he kill old people?"

Noi rolled her eyes. "You keep asking me like I have his answers. Sunako, he's not going to bite you, no matter how much you ask, so don't have anything to be worried about. Honestly, I like Yuki, but I don't like it when he's like this. It…bothers me, so I don't want to know anything that part of him. If want to know what motivates Yuki, you're going to have to ask someone else."

"Did Takenaga tell you to answer my questions?"

"What?" Noi gave her a puzzled look. "No. He didn't. In fact, he's told me barely anything about you other than you'll be staying here."

"Then why are you being so nice to me?" Sunako inquired, trying to understand what the girl's angle was.

Noi laughed loudly. Long, girlish shrieks that made her grab her sides. Sunako watched, bewildered, as the other girl almost slid of the couch.

When she finally managed to calm down enough to talk, she said, "Because you're a girl!"

Sunako looked on in disbelief. "I'm a girl?"

"Yeah," Noi chuckled, "I know that they're vampires, but that doesn't change the fact that they're boys and annoying for the most part. You're the first girl, not to mention human, who has passed through those doors since I've lived here. That's why I'm being so nice to you. That, and I like you."

Sunako settled into the couch. Some one liked her. It was a different feeling. "So, you consider me a friend?"

Noi shrugged. "Maybe not 'stay up all night sharing our deepest secrets' type of friends, but I like having you around, so maybe someday."

"I've never had any live friends before." Sunako declared.

This caused the other girl to laugh again. "Neither have I."

Sunako couldn't be sure, but she thought she felt something around her change.

xXx

Around three in the morning, Sunako found her way to the back porch. The yard was a vast garden, complete with fountains, beautifully made benches, trees that must have offered generous amounts of shade during the day and even a large dark gazebo in the center of it all. It was all very well put together and Sunako wondered who kept it up. Surely, it wasn't Noi. She didn't seem like the type to want to spend time tending to plants…unless, of course, Takenaga had requested it.

She sighed as she sat down on one of the benches. The day had not gone at all how she planned, but she couldn't get the image of Yuki feeding to leave her mind. Sunako had said that she wanted to see Yuki's vampire side, but she just didn't think that it would be in such a way. Still, there was something in the way he had bit into the woman's flesh; the way the blood had dribbled down to the sheet and gathered there. Something inside of her repelled against the idea of stealing someone away from their loved ones, even if it was there time, but a further part of her knew he had to do it some way; she knew no matter whom she picked to feed on, she'd be stealing them from someone.

A shadowy figure caught her eye and she lifted her head. Standing of the top of the castle, on one of the towers was one of them. Sunako couldn't tell who from her place but she watched with absorption as they leaped from the high walls and dove down to the ground. They landed gracefully and stood with a carefree style. Now, with the light from the kitchen window lighting the area, she could tell it was the loud, angry one. The one that hated her—Kyohei.

"What are you doing out here, Human?"

Sunako frowned at his sneer. She couldn't believe that a moment ago she'd wished that she could do what he could. "What does it look like?" She hissed in return, "I'm thinking."

"Really?" he shrugged. "Couldn't tell. You had a blank empty look on your face."

She decided that the way his hair fell haphazardly around his eyes annoyed her. It was unfair that he could be everything that she wanted, so beautiful and yet so annoying all at the same time. He stood before her, in jeans and a jacket—no shirt—glaring at her in a way that made her want to rip his violet eyes out, vampire or not.

She then noticed the faint red lines that painted his chest and face. "What happened to you?" She asked suddenly before she could stop herself.

He smirked. "I was out fighting." His eyes seemed to glow now. Sunako recognized it as the same glow Yuki's had all day and conflicted emotions rose in her; he stole a life, he murdered, but it was apart of who he was, and that was a creature of the night.

"You fight?"

"Yeah. We all have our different ways." He replied, shrugging again.

Sunako lifted an eyebrow, not understanding what he was trying to say.

Instead of explaining, Kyohei came and kneeled before her, saying, "Do you get what the kid was trying to teach you today?"

Sunako thought about it before shaking her head. Kyohei sighed.

"What do you see when you look at us? Your 'children of the night'? Perhaps you see humans with a terrible disease. What do you see?"

"I see everything I've ever thought of. You guys aren't terrible; why can't you see the lives you have here?"

"Oh, we see it. You're over-glamorizing it. Yuki killed someone today. I killed someone, and so did Ranmaru. He took them and slaughtered them in the worst way. None of them did anything wrong. Is whatever you get out of this life worth that?"

Sunako looked away. "You don't have to kill them," she mumbled.

"You think it's so easy to stop?" Kyohei questioned, disbelieving. "You say you understand us, our blood lust, but you can't. You couldn't possibly know starvation like this."

"…You haven't explained what he was trying to teach me."

"That not everything is as it seems. Yuki is the kind of person who remembers every face; he will carry that guilt around with him forever. He does what he needs to do, but he hates it. Unless you can tolerate doing what he does, because he is the kindest of all of us, then you shouldn't be here."

Sunako blinked.

Kyohei continued, "Unless you can stomach the thought of killing for yourself and only yourself, then you should leave."

"I'm not giving up," she countered quickly. "I'll figure out a way. If Yuki and deal with it, then so can I."

His hand reached up and knocked her in the head. "Listen here, Stupid, Yuki didn't have a choice in the matter. He makes do with what he can deal with, but even he has to force himself. Do you think their blood taste good? It doesn't; not when they're so close to death. Yuki is strong-stronger than all of us. You don't get to think of him as weak."

"That's not what I was saying," Sunako argued, glaring. "I was trying to say that if some one as good as Yuki can figure out a way to be okay—"

"But Yuki's not okay with it," Kyohei interrupted. "That's why he works so hard. Why he only picks those who are about are at Death's door anyway. It makes him feel less guilty."

Sunako stomped her foot. "I will be fine. I may not be okay with killing people, unlike you seem to be, apparently, but I will find my own way."

Kyohei's head tilted to the left and his gaze harden. "You think I enjoy what I do?"

Sunako held firm under his stare. She wasn't going to let him scare her this time, no matter how dark and threatening he got.

Kyohei's lip lifted in a growl. "Maybe you'll fit right it with the vampires you idolize, after all," he said angrily before turning away and taking off. He somehow managed to fly back to the roof of the castle and then slipped through a window, disappearing from her sight.

Sunako glared in his direction before heading back into the house.

There was definitely something wrong with that…thing, she declared internally as she crawled into her coffin.

* * *

Chapter 6. Yay.

I'm not sure I like the ending scene very much. I wanted to make it clear that there are certain things Sunako's going to half to deal with. That she doesn't understand everything no matter what she says and she can't just jump in and be okay like she wants to. In the manga, she says that she has no intention of killing people; she just can't stand the 'radiant creatures'. But here, it's made obvious if she gets what she wants, she won't have a choice. At this point, Sunako is so set on her decision that she can't see any other way, but I don't think she argued it very well.

If there are things that you thing could make it better, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you how this should be.

Tell me what you think. Do you like this side of Yuki? He's not nice, I'll tell you that, and he'll make other appearances. And what about Kyohei randomly showing up to explain things. He does that quite often, doesn't he. Yell at her and blame her, but makes sure she knows what's going on because she can't really see a lot of it by herself. At least that's how I see it.

So other than that, the same ole same ole: see a mistake, let me know. I swear, if it weren't for spellchecker, auto-correction, and synonyms, this story would be nothing. This chapter is around 10 pages long. I told one of the the reviewers (she knows who she is) that I was trying to make the chapters longer. I usually tried for 6 pages. Now, I'm trying for 8-10. Not a whole lot, when you consider that most of it will be dialog, but hey, it's something.

Review. Review. Review. Reading and reviewing makes the world go round.

Thanks.

Until next time.


	6. The Old and The News

The next day, late afternoon as Sunako discovered later, Noi lifted the lid off Sunako's coffin and rudely shook her awake.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded.

Sunako rubbed her eyes, wondering briefly if she was mistaken about Noi being a vampire judging from the way she was glaring. "What do you mean?" Sunako asked with a yawn.

Noi growled. She threw the lid of the coffin to the ground, pulling Sunako out of her bedroom and down the hall. In a room Sunako had only seen once during her exploring was a large television that hung on the wall. The four vampires were scattered around the room, eyes intent on the screen.

Noi pointed to the moving picture. "That is what I'm talking about!" she shouted, still glaring at the confused girl. "How could you do that?"

Sunako walked towards the television to get a better understand of why Noi was ranting.

Then there was a picture she recognized all too well—her student ID photo. "Oh," she whispered. Next, the display flashed to a new scene. It was her aunty, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and still managing not to smudge her make-up.

"The last time I talked to her, she said a boy had rejected her advances," her aunt said. "I knew she was sad, but I never expected her to run away."

Oh.

"I just want her to come back home. I need her here." She turned to the camera. "Sunako, if you see this, please come home. Please."

Oh, Josephine.

The newscaster came back on, tapping her papers on the table before her. "Nakahara Sunako has been missing for two days from her home in Tokyo. If you have seen her, please call the number below."

"It's a sad story—a girl running away," the other caster added.

"Yes. We've reports coming in saying that her parents are flying in from Africa and will be joining the search tonight when they arrive."

It showed a family picture they'd taken before her parents left; her father and mother, even her aunt in all her glory, and her, all looking happy together.

Damn.

"Sunako, look at what you've done!" Noi complained. She sounded less angry, but more upset. "You've made your family worry. Why would you do that?"

Sunako turned to the other girl. She was at a lost for words.

"Do you still think this is all worth it?" The melodious voice asked. All the heads in the room turned to the dark-haired master of the house sitting in the corner. "You saw them—they love you. Why would you trade that in for anything?"

Sunako blinked. She didn't have a adequate answer. It would have been easier if she could say they abused or neglected her, but that was a lie. Her family doted on her, as she was the only child. Gave her anything she wanted, even if they disagreed with her preferences. When she wanted to stay in Japan, her parents let her. When she wanted to paint her room black, her aunty bought the paint. It was the life anyone would ask for, and here she was throwing it back in their faces for something she thought was better.

Takenaga stood and walked towards her slowly. Today, he was dress casually in a dress shirt and jeans, and again Sunako felt the wrongness of it fill her, and yet there was no way she couldn't see him as a vampire.

"Do you have an answer to my question?" he asked, stopping before her.

Sunako looked him evenly in the eye. She could feel the drop at her neck react to his close presence. "No, not yet." She answered firmly, refusing to give in any.

He smiled, but she couldn't tell if it was just for show or because he was amused. "The clock is ticking," he responded before he started for the door. "I'd hurry up and figure out what you want if I were you. Noi, thank you for the notice."

"Of course," Noi replied quietly. She glanced at Sunako once more before following the vampire out.

Sunako turned back to the television. The news had already moved to the next story, but there was a caption at the bottom, alerting people to search for the missing girl.

"Well, you certainly were loved," remarked the velvet voice. Ranmaru was lounging on the couch, his head propped up by his hand, looking deeply bored. Sunako's eyes flashed to him as he turned to look at her. She couldn't help but feel that there was something more in his words that just a observation.

"My family is very close," she answered back. "They try, but I always stick out. You saw them."

Kyohei rolled his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? Is this where you start in on how horrible your life was? Poor, poor you?"

Sunako glared at him. "No. I love them, but it was so hard to fit in. My father and aunty were raised in a very narrow-minded environment. They've changed a lot and opened up, but they find it difficult to except anything that doesn't fall in the realm of what they consider normal. They always tried to change me. My mom was the only one who accepted me for me. I'm not saying that they mistreated me, but…I sometimes felt like I was disappointing them somehow."

"So you run away to be a vampire?" Kyohei asked sardonically. "Yes, that will solve all your problems. I'm sure they'll accept you then."

"Kyohei, knock it off." Yuki said, but it lacked any feeling. It was clear that he was back to the Yuki she had come to know, but he wasn't smiling like always.

"I don't know why Takenaga is even putting up this front for two months," he argued. "She's immature and annoying."

"So are you," Ranmaru cut in, his tone like a whip.

Sunako stood still, her eyes wide as she watched the three go back and forth with each other.

"So are you." Kyohei mocked in a babyish tone. "That's the best you got? You're getting soft, dirty old man."

Ranmaru smirked and stood up, impossibly thin and tall. "You want to see what I got, huh?"

Yuki laughed, his smile finally returning. "I've got 500 on Ranmaru."

The redhead turned to the small one, appalled. "500? That's all I'm worth?"

"HA!" Kyohei laughed while holding his stomach. "He has no faith in you."

Ranmaru sighed. "Yeah, well, he bet on me. So what does that say about his opinion of you?"

Sunako slowly slid back and out the door, letting the three continue. It was the first time she'd seen them have fun together and she didn't want to spoil it.

Feeling her stomach rumbling, she headed towards the kitchen hoping that she could scramble up something from the scraps she found in the cabinets the day before. Much to her surprise, when she entered the kitchen, she found Noi at the counter with ingredients spread around her.

"Food," she said with happiness.

Noi smirked. "Yeah, I went shopping this morning. I would have invited you to come, but you I couldn't get you up. I swear, you sleep heavier than the boys and they sleep like the dead, if you don't mind the pun."

Sunako smiled, coming to stand next to her to see what she had gotten out. "I don't mind it at all." She snickered. "What are you making?"

"Nothing special," Noi shrugged. "I'm not exactly talented in the kitchen, but it doesn't matter; they don't have taste buds."

Sunako lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "They don't?"

Noi shook her head. "Nope. I mean, they taste blood, but that's about it. They say everything else is tasteless, but they sometimes eat anyway. I think it's because they like the feeling of chewing."

"That's interesting," the dark-haired girl commented.

Noi rolled her eyes playfully. "You think everything about them is interesting. Trust me, though, it's not."

Sunako gave a small smile. She knew that it would be hard for someone like Noi, who had been around vampires all her life and didn't think they were anything special, to understand her.

"Why don't you let me cook for you?" Sunako offered, effectively changing the subject.

Noi waved her hand in dismissal. "I couldn't do that—you're the guest. Besides, my cooking's not that bad."

"I'm sure it's not," Sunako replied quickly, "but I love to cook. You'd actually be doing me a favor." Sunako could see the girl wavering. "Please."

The blonde-haired girl pursed her lips and glanced at the other. She sighed, giving in. "Fine. Make what you'd like, just put everything away when you're done."

Yes! Sunako cheered. Cooking would be the best thing to take her mind off her family. She quickly tied on the apron Noi passed her and got everything set up, mixing the ingredients and preheating the stove. She grinned in pleasure as she picked out one of the very well cared for knives and set to chopping. She'd finally gotten into a good rhythm when she was joined in the kitchen.

"You look like you know what you're doing," Ranmaru stated, sitting at one of the stools on the other side of the island she was working on. Sunako nodded, not wanting to lose focus. She emptied the vegetables into the pot she was using and stirred them in slowly. Next, she set to work on the meat.

"I like cooking," she offered lightly as she got everything ready. "It's relaxing."

He watched as she sliced evenly and with care. "I'm sure it is for you. Surely, you've dreamed of being the victim of an axe murderer."

Sunako paused, looking at him. "Do I bother you that much?"

Ranmaru laughed. "You don't bother me at all. When you've lived as long as I have, a little girl with bizarre fantasies doesn't even register on your radar."

"And how long have you lived?"

"I'm a couple hundred years old," he shared, "I'm young compared to Takenaga and Kyohei, but Yuki's younger than me."

Sunako set the knife down. "Wow," she said pensively, "the things you must have seen; the things you must have done."

Ranmaru shrugged. "I've never done anything of importance."

Sunako swept the meat into the pot and stirred it again. Turning around and leaning against the counter she stared at him. "Who were you?"

The redhead blinked, his eyes shifting down and losing focus. "I was the heir of an empire, my father's company. Blessed from the day I was born with good looks and money, I had anything I could every want, without having to ask for it."

Sunako watched as he paused in his story. "Sounds nice."

Ranmaru smiled, but didn't look up. "It was. It was the best life, probably much like yours except multiplied. I was very privileged. And I threw it all away."

The girl noted the change of tone in his voice, as well as the words. They were words she heard thrown at her many times as of late. That's what they all thought about her, after all, that she was throwing her life away.

"How?" she pushed, eager for his story.

"I was used to getting my way, getting all the girls. One night, there was one in particular. Oh, she was a firecracker—witty and fun and beautiful. She set herself apart, and she didn't fall all over my charm. By the third round, I fancied myself halfway in love with her.

"I watched her leave the party we were at and followed her down the street. I stood be hind a corner as she persuaded a dirty man into an alleyway. When they didn't come out, I approached slowly thinking that I could sneak a peek at what they were doing. I mean, this dirty beggar she invites in, but me she turns down; my pride was wounded." He gave a small, humorless chuckle at this.

"What I saw changed everything. It was terrible, the blood that stained her dress and covered her skin. The man she had drained. But she was beautiful, still, I couldn't deny that.

"She wanted to kill me for following her, but I convinced her, somehow, that I loved her and I was willing to do anything for her, if all she kept me alive. I told her about my family's fortune and how it could help us. I begged her to change me, to bring me with her everywhere she went. And eventually, she did."

"You hypocrite!" Sunako shouted.

Ranmaru jumped at the sound of her voice, pulled from his memory. "What?"

"You…hate my reasoning, the fact that I want to be a vampire—that I'm begging for it—when you did the exact same thing."

Ranmaru blinked. "No. I made my choice because I thought I was in love. Your say it's simply because 'you want it'. See the difference?"

"Not really."

"Yours isn't really a reason."

Sunako opened her mouth to respond, but he held his hand up. "I'm not the person you need to persuade."

She nodded. "So what happened?"

"Like I said, I only thought I was in love. Half a year later, I realized what I had become, and I realized that she wasn't who I thought she was. Sure she was fun, and we had a great time together, but she was greedy and self-centered and all too much like me. Therefore, we went our separate ways, and ultimately I ended up here. End of story."

Sunako felt her shoulders fall. "That's all?"

Ranmaru smirked. "We can't all have remarkable stories like Takenaga, Kitten, now can we."

Sunako moved before she could think. She grabbed the knife and threw it at him with trained accuracy. She heard sound of it sinking into the countertop. Straightening herself, she observed the scene before her. The knife was sticking up from the counter just in front of the frozen vampire, the tip nailing his sleeve in place.

She glared at him. "You do _not_ call me _kitten_."

Ranmaru shook his head. "I'm sorry. My mistake."

"I'd never thought I'd see the day a woman had Ranmaru whipped," Kyohei's voice called from outside the room. Seconds later, he was standing in the entryway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smirk in place.

"She threw a bloody knife at me!" He held the offending object up, showing the blood left on it from when she cut the meat.

Kyohei laughed loudly. "What? Did you think it was going to kill you?"

Ranmaru glared at the laughing boy. "It's not funny! You stop that right now! Kyohei, I swear"—His words were cut off as another knife whizzed passed, landing securely in the wall directly next to Kyohei's ear, efficiently ending his laughing bout.

Kyohei blinked in shock as he turned to look at the sharp instrument. "Have you been trained?"

Sunako smirked and said nothing. Instead, she turned back to the dinner she was preparing.

"That was awesome!"

She dropped the spoon and whipped around again. Kyohei was staring at her in amazement.

"How come you never said you could do that? Do it again! Do it again!"

"No." Sunako said, "It's a waste of perfectly good knives."

"That's no fun!" Kyohei whined. "I bet my aim is better than yours."

Sunako shrugged, not taking the bait. "Considering your eyesight is better than mine, it probably is. One day, it'll be a fair fight." She heard the vampire growl as he stocked out of the room. Suddenly, Ranmaru burst out in laughter.

"It seems you've gained his approval," he said, his smile wide. "Congrads."

Again, Sunako shrugged. It wasn't his approval she wanted. Leaving dinner to simmer a little longer, she turned back to the other vampire.

"So, Yuki kills old people," she said, "who do you go after."

"You've got guts," he countered, leaning back and leering at her. "I like that. And isn't it obvious?"

Sunako studied him, trying to figure out what he was hinting at. "No, it's not."

His charm seemed to leave in one swoop. "Women, of course. My God, you're dense sometimes."

"Women?" She asked. "Just any woman?"

He looked at her. "No," he said, standing. "No. I'm not having this conversation with you. If you can't figure it out, you're not old enough to know."

Sunako watched as he left, wondering what he was talking about, but decided it didn't really matter much.

She finished dinner in silences, calling for Noi when it was finished. They enjoyed it together at the table, talking about light topics. Noi revealed that she had been flipping channels when she was Sunako's picture and woke the others up. They were at a lost of what to do, because if she went outside people were sure to recognize her now and they couldn't have people snooping around the house.

"I don't mind staying inside," Sunako told her.

"You don't want to be trapped in here all the time," Noi explained. "You could go out back in the garden, but that will get boring quickly. I guess we can take you out in disguises from now on, but I don't know how well it's going to work."

"It's not a big deal. I like staying inside."

Noi looked at her, a sad look shinning in her eyes. "Right now, yeah, but eventually you'll want to get out, even for a just a bit. Trust me, I've lived with Takenaga since I was born; I see how he looks pass the gates. You don't want to be trapped here."

"It'll only be for a little while," Sunako argued. "In two months, both of us will be able walk pass those gates."

Noi straighten in her seat. "You're right," she said. "I didn't think of that. Takenaga will be free."

"Right," Sunako agreed. "So, I can stay in the house for two months. I'm sure I won't get bored."

But Noi wasn't listening. "Takenaga will be able to leave."

Sunako paused. "Yeah?"

Noi looked at her, fear showing on her face. "What he if he doesn't take me with him?"

Sunako didn't know how to respond to Noi. "Then you can do whatever you want?" she tried.

"I've tried that already," Noi argued. "I need them. If they leave, I'll have no one."

"I don't think he would leave you here by yourself, Noi," Sunako offered weakly, "they seem to like you."

Noi put her head in her hands. "I could handle a few months without him, but who knows how long he'll be gone. He's been fenced in for so long, he could be gone for years. What would I do then?"

Sunako reached a hand out. "Noi, calm down, he's not going to leave you."

Her head snapped up. "You think so?" she asked desperately.

Sunako shrugged and nodded. She wasn't sure what the other girl was worried about. Sure, he might leave, but this was his home; therefore, he'd always come back here.

Noi brightened then. "Sorry, Sunako," she giggled freely, "I guess I freaked out about nothing. I just don't know what I would do without my family."

Sunako nodded again, accepting her response and turning back to dinner. She still wasn't sure what Noi was talking about, but she seemed over it.

They finished the reason of the dinner and put the remaining stuff in the fridge. When Sunako glanced at the clock on the wall, she was shocked to find that it was nearing eleven o'clock.

"What time did I get up?" she questioned.

"I woke you up around five," Noi answered, "Why?"

"I slept all day," Sunako responded.

Noi laughed. "I know. I tried to get you up, remember. And you slept all day because you stayed up all night," she ended her sentence with a yawn. "I, however, went to bed at a normal person's bedtime and woke up around eight this morning. I'm tired."

Sunako smiled. "Good night, then."

Noi waved and headed down the hall. "'night," she yawned again.

Sunako stood there for a moment, wondering what she should do. She wasn't tired enough to go to sleep and she was done putting her room together. She supposed she could wander the house some more, opening odd doors, but that could only entertain her for so long. A part of her wanted to go find one of the boys and see what they were up to, but she wasn't sure where to look, as she'd never been shown to there rooms.

The last person she wanted to talk to was the loud one. So far, the only thing he'd been good for was making her faint and annoying her.

Ranmaru seemed to be done with her for the night, and she wasn't too keen on finishing their conversation.

Yuki seemed like the logical choice. Then again, what would he be doing that would entertain her?

What she really wanted to do was find Takenaga's room and sit next to him. It seemed weird, but he was the only one that gave off vibes that sent chills down her spine—the good ones.

Instead of all that, though, she settled on watching some television. Sunako headed back to the room she entered earlier that day and sat down on the couch. She started flipping channels, hoping to find something good to watch for a while. Finding nothing, she threw the remote down. Standing, she decided to search the rest of the room for something to do.

Opening the first wall-unit she came to, she gasped. Seven shelves were inside each neatly holding organized DVDs. She opened the next unit to find the same thing. Looking around, she noticed a total to ten units lining the wall.

"They must own every movie ever made!" She whispered in marvel.

Sunako quickly figured out how they had the DVDs organized and found the horror section. She had always known her own collection had holes, but it was a good collection. What these guy's had was not a good collection.

It was astounding.

Sunako pulled out case after case, wondering which she should watch first as there were so many at her fingertips. Instantly, she knew how she was going to entertain herself for the next two months.

Sunako set the stack she had gathered on the table in front of the couch and located the DVD player. She settled into the couch as the movie started playing. It was one of her favorites; an old black-and-white, but it had some of the best scene ever.

A good amount of time passed, and Sunako had been drawn deep into the movie, but she didn't jump with a figure settled in quietly next to her. Looking over, she saw it was Kyohei, the loud one. He was quietly watching the movie though, so she didn't bother to tell him to leave. As long as he stayed that way, he could watch with her.

"I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock that you'd pick this one first," he whispered loud enough for her to hear. Annoyance shot through her, but he wasn't talking through an important scene so she let it go. "It's a good movie."

"It's my favorite," she answered, unable to stop herself from telling him.

"Mine, too," he agreed. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and he smiled. "Do you want to see something cool?"

She didn't know. Was it going to distract her from the movie?

Kyohei grabbed the remote and pressed pause. The movie froze on a scene that looked out onto a busy street as the murder was just leaving his house with his back to the screen.

"Do you see it?" He asked fervently.

Sunako studied the scene closely, wondering what he could be talking about. She'd seen this movie over a hundred times and had never noticed anything interesting about this part—

"Is that you?"

He laughed. It was undeniably him, now that she saw it. Walking in the opposite direction of the killer, just passing him, was the vampire sitting next to her. His head was down and his hands were stuffed in his pockets, but the shape of the body was the same, and no one else could have that hair, even if she couldn't tell the color.

She turned to him. "How?"

Kyohei smirked like always. "I stumbled on to the set one day and the director loved me," he announced, arrogance dripping from every word. "He wanted to make to me the main character, but I told him I couldn't. He wouldn't stop pushing and wouldn't let me go, so I agreed to be in one scene, but only if it wasn't a close up. He thought I was a criminal on the run."

Sunako had since turned back to the screen. "Wow. So thrilling."

Kyohei looked at her as she gazed at the screen. "You could be in a horror movie if you wanted to. You've got the perfect look. I'm sure you wouldn't even have to act."

Sunako smiled. "I'd rather have the real thing."

The vampire groaned and pressed his face into one of the throw pillows. "There you go again," he sighed once he came back up, "ruining a good moment by saying something stupid."

Sunako hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying. She pressed the play button and watched as the vampire walked out of the scene. A second before the picture cut though, he looked up and Sunako could see his face perfectly now. A face she'd never paid attention to before; a face that didn't look any different now, sixty years later.

* * *

I'm not sure why this chapter also ended up with her being alone, talking to Kyohei but the outcome is different. So, I tried to put some funny in this chapter to lighten it up. Hopefully, you guys think so too. In the next couple of chapters, I hope the story will actually start moving a little more. I finally have the path I want to take this story down in my head and where I want to end up. At this point, it's just a matter of getting the characters there. It's going to be very interesting…with any luck.

See a mistake, let me know!

Reviews=love. Just a heads up.

Thank you for reading!

K'onix


	7. The Secret Kept

The days passed quickly from the first movie night. Sunako feel into a routine of going to be in the late morning and waking up just as the sun was going down. She'd spend a few hours with Noi before she went off to bed. Sunako couldn't tell if Noi had calmed down after her scare or if she was hiding it behind faux confidence, but she had gone back to her cheerful-self by the next evening. After Noi left, Sunako would either spend some time in the garden out back or watch movies in the dark. Sometimes Kyohei would join her, sometimes it was one of the others.

One quiet night, Ranmaru joined her. He settled himself into the couch gently, barely even alerting her to his presence. Though she tried, Sunako found it hard not to take a small peek at him. She meant to turn her head only slightly to catch a glance at him from the corner of her eye, but a familiar gleam caught her attention. Her head spun around to her without her permission and she blinked a couple of times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

Ranmaru was leaning against the armrest looking as bored as ever, but she'd come to realize that this was how he usually acted. After a moment, a dirty smirk slid across his face.

"I knew it would hit you eventually, _petit chaton_," he said, turning his leer to her, "just how sexy I am."

Sunako's eyes shifted up to him. She'd tried to get him to stop calling her names but her threats didn't work with him. "No," she said. "You're drop."

Ranmaru blinked in confusion before looking down. Lying over his shirt, shining scarlet in the light from the television, was his Blood Drop. Earlier in the evening, he'd given into to the housewife of some CEO. She had accepted with a smile, swiftly hooking her new gift around her slim neck and commenting how it matched her outfit.

He knew she would have let him in her house anyway, but having the Blood Drop in there meant he didn't have to ask. He hated it about himself, but a part of him loved the shock it gave them to see him standing there in the shadows. At one point, he tried to convince himself he just liked to give them a head start; to let them know how wrong they were; let them die knowing he wasn't the person they loved. But after years, he knew he just liked the chase. He wanted to hear that scream of surprise, of fear, of fight. He wanted the adrenalin that pumped through their veins. Their fight or flight response made everything better.

He must have forgotten to put the drop away when he got home.

"Yes," he mused, "there it is."

He rarely ever looked at it. When he did, it brought back all the memories he hated. That dreaded first year when everything was new and good, and then the second when it was old and bad.

They never talked about their Blood Drops. It was almost taboo in the house, which he favored. Things had changed since the girl sitting next to him had showed up, though. Slowly, the need to talk about it became necessary. They needed to talk about what was going to change within the house now that Takenaga could leave. They needed to talk about how to handle the two girls, whether they should force them to forget or just leave them as they were. They knew Takenaga would never leave Noi alone for long, but he had many plans, indeed.

They needed to talk about many things, it seemed to Ranmaru; things he wasn't entirely enthusiastic to talk about.

"It's bigger than Takenaga's,"

Ranmaru snorted. Foul comment after foul comment flooded his tongue as he fought to keep the images out of his head. Years of sex and dirty thoughts had turned him into a pervert, he knew, but something ingrained from his human years wouldn't allow him to completely tarnish the young girls around him. He will admit to wishing Takenaga had been there to hear her statement just so he could tease him later.

After he had control over himself, he replied, "They're not always the same size. I think it depends on the circumstances in a way—how much you fight back. Yuki has the smallest because he fought it more, while mine is the biggest because I wanted it." He paused. "It's just another thing we can't prove, though."

"It seems like you don't know a whole lot about yourselves." Sunako remarked, clearly exasperated by their lack of knowledge.

Ranmaru turned to her. "What, how many vampires to you think are roaming around? There's not as many as you would think, and even less who actually want to know all that much about themselves."

"Why wouldn't you want to know about what you are?"

Ranmaru pondered the correct way to answer. "It makes it easier," he finally said.

Sunako sighed, giving up. "You treat it as if it's a disease."

"And you see it as a blessing."

She glared at him. "I've been given this speech before. In fact, by all of you in one form or another."

"Because you're not listening to us when we say it's not worth it."

"It is to me."

"It was to me, too. Things change."

"It's different."

"How?"

The age-old question. It was beginning to annoy Sunako. What annoyed her more was her lack of answer. "It just is" wasn't going to cut it with these guys, she knew, but she couldn't explain the desire any other way.

She stopped glaring and turned back to the movie she was watching before he came in.

"That's what I thought," he chuckled, but let it drop all the same.

They finished the movie in silence, but it was a strained silence. At one point Yuki had joined them, but left soon after. She wasn't sure if was the movie or the tension that filled the air.

Sunako got up to replace the movie with another one when Noi came in. She was surprised to see the girl up at three in the morning, but she realized quickly Noi wasn't there for her.

"Ranmaru," she growled grumpily, "_she's_ here. Get her to leave. Now."

Ranmaru's expression shifted from shock to delight to irritation to emotionless so quickly that Sunako wondered what he was really thinking and who could have caused it.

As he left the room, walked up to the sleepy girl who had crashed on one of the couches. Sunako poked her. "Whose here?"

Noi's eyebrows furrowed and she let out a groan of disgusted mixed with annoyance. "Eliza." She hissed. "She's the one who changed Ranmaru. I hate her. She killed my grandma."

Sunako's eyes flashed. Slowly, she left Noi on the couch and headed down the hall. She knew there was a possibility she wouldn't find them, but she would regret not trying. Her worries were pointless, though, as she came to the grand staircase. Leaning on the railing was Kyohei and Yuki, but silently watching the floor below. As Sunako joined them, she noticed the figures they were watching. Wrapped in Ranmaru's arms was a tall woman, their lips locked together.

"Please tell me that's not some vampire mating ritual," Sunako gulped with displeasure.

Kyohei rolled his eyes. "No. That's some human ritual."

Sunako nodded. She mentally added it to the reasons she wanted to be a vampire. Humans were silly.

So she's the vampiress who changed Ranmaru? Sunako thought intrigued. Sunako remembered him saying that he thought he was in love with her, but they were too similar. "I can see why," she muttered to herself, their passionate meeting still happening before her.

Next to her, Kyohei cleared his throat to pull their attention away from each other. "Now, I know this is a nice little get-together for you two, but the rest of us don't want to watch. End it or take it elsewhere."

The vampiress, who Sunako could now see was very beautiful, smirked. Suddenly, she was out of Ranmaru's arms and standing before them. "Kyohei," she purred, running her finger under his chin. "It's a pleasure to see you as always."

Sunako couldn't take her eyes off the being before her. She could tell that this woman loved everything about herself; the way she looked, all her dark thoughts, and even what she was. True, Sunako couldn't say that she liked the way the woman acted, but that if that was who she really was, then who was Sunako to judge her. She was everything Sunako wanted to be. Dark and confident and free to be whoever she wanted to be.

"Is this a new pet? Has the other one died already?" In her staring, Sunako hadn't notice the immortal's attention transfer to her.

"No," Noi snapped behind her. "I'm still alive. Thanks for your concern, Eliza." The hostility was clear behind the polite words.

"Oh, good." The vampiress laughed. "It's so easy to lose track of time, you know. It's nice to know that not too much time as passed since I last saw my favorite progeny." By this time, Ranmaru had joined them at the top of the stairs and Eliza had encased him in her arms again.

"If she's not the new pet, then who is she?" The words seemed harmless, fueled by simple curiosity.

"She found"—Yuki started, but Ranmaru cut him off.

"—out about us. Takenaga's still trying to figure out what to do with her."

Eliza rolled her eyes. "That Takenaga's always been too soft. I bet he's still brooding around here somewhere, right."

"Well, he's likes his alone time." Noi replied with a stiff, mocking smile.

Eliza grinned in return. "Being trapped in this place, you'd think he'd get all the alone time he needs. But I know if I was constantly surrounded by a mortal completely in love with me, I'd hide too."

Noi rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to give a retort but the man in question appeared. "Noi, there's no need for you to defend me. I'm capable of doing it myself."

The emotion in Noi's eyes changed quickly. She looked at Takenaga with an apologetic pout. "I know," she said, "but I can't help it."

Takenaga nodded. "I'm not hiding," he said in reply to Eliza's comment. "I am sure that I've told you before to give future notice when you're going to be visiting, though. Maybe if you did, I'd be here to greet you."

"You have told me," Eliza shrugged. "I just never know when I'm going to be in town, you know that. It's always spur of the moment."

"Of course," The master smiled. Sunako could tell now what sort of background he had. It was hard to believe she hadn't noticed it before; her aunt had been trying to marry her off to men just like him for the past couple of years. On Takenaga, it didn't seem so bad, though. "Will you be needing a place to stay."

Noi glared at the dark-haired vampire when he made the offer. Sunako had never seen the other girl glare, but she found that she liked it.

Eliza laughed. She turned her head up and kissed Ranmaru's cheek. "No, not at all. Some poor fool is putting me up tonight. I just wanted to stop by and ask if Ranmaru would like to join me tomorrow night. It's been a while since I've hunted with anybody."

"I would be my pleasure, Eliza." The redhead said, gazing down at her with hooded eyes.

"Well, now that that's all cleared up, maybe you should move this gathering to a room." Takenaga's eyes sparked before he turned away. "Kyohei. Noi, There's something I'd like to talk to you two about."

Kyohei sighed as he followed the two down the hall. Ranmaru and his companion headed in the opposite direction, Eliza's arms still wrapped around his chest as he led the way.

"And then there was two," Yuki said, smiling at her.

Sunako didn't say anything in return. The new information from the previous exchange was floating around.

Yuki tipped his head. His green eyes were curious but unassuming. "Do you want to do something, Sunako? Everyone else seems to be busy."

For a moment, she wondered if he was trying to keep her from snooping out answers for herself–to keep her busy for a while. She wanted to think that it wasn't who Yuki was to purposely do something like that, but if she learned anything from her day with him a week ago, it was she didn't know Yuki at all.

"Why do you think Ranmaru didn't tell her that I had the drop?" She asked. Yuki seemed taken aback by her question.

"I'm not sure," he answered with a clueless shrug. "I don't try to understand Ranmaru's motives. He does what he wants, regardless of us."

Sunako considered what he was saying. Still, she felt something wasn't right. "But why do you think he would hide it. It doesn't have anything to do with him."

"The only reason I can think of is," Yuki paused and then sighed, "he doesn't trust Eliza."

It seemed like the right answer, but she thought back to their greeting. Why would you kiss someone who you didn't trust. "What do you think they're talking about?" Her head jerked toward the hall the three disappeared down a moment ago.

Yuki's hand landed on her shoulder. "What ever it is, if it were important Ranmaru and I would have to be there. So how about a movie?"

Sunako studied him. He was calm and answering her questions, but he also was a vampire and would lie if it served him. "Sure," she said, "a movie sounds good."

Yuki's smile was bright. "Just nothing with ghosts, okay?"

Sunako rolled her eyes. Movies with the other one were more fun. "No ghosts."

Three hours and a couple of movies later, Sunako heard voices echoing in the hallway. Looking at Yuki told her he heard it, too. She went to stand, but Yuki's head snapped in her direction and his eyes demanded that she sit. The hard stare he held her with told her if she moved she would regret it. Sunako realized at once that she was right in thinking Yuki was just her baby sitter, keeping her occupied while the other three talked about her.

After a moment, the voices faded and Yuki looked away. He stood and silently walked out of the room, leaving her there to wonder what was going on in the once pleasantly haunted castle.

Right after Yuki left, Noi came in, bringing Sunako out of her ponderings. "It's after six, you know." She said. Noi was trying to smile, but there was a tiredness and unknown emotion shining through.

Sunako looked at the clock on the walk and found that it was indeed after six AM. Usually she was getting ready to go to bed around this time. At the thought, a yawn erupted from her.

"I'm tired, too." Noi laughed. For the second time, she crashed on the couch next to Sunako and curled up.

"Are you going to go to bed?" Sunako questioned.

"No," Noi shook her head. "I don't like messing up my sleeping patterns too much. I'll stay up a little longer, then sleep only for a couple of hours. Hopefully that will carry me to my normal bed time."

Sunako nodded. She wondered if it was hard for her to be wake when the rest of them were usually asleep or if she liked the quiet time.

"By the way," Noi continued through a large yawn of her own, "Takenaga and the others want to talk to you before you go to sleep."

Good, Sunako thought. She wanted to talk to them. "Is Eliza gone?"

Noi smiled. "Yes. But not for long. She'll be back tomorrow night." She frowned and groaned at the thought. "I don't know why Ranmaru lets her in. He hates almost as much as I do."

Sunako's eyes flickered again at the thought of their greeting. Yuki said that Ranmaru didn't trust her and Noi claimed he hated her, but it didn't fit with how he treated her. Sunako knew there was a piece of the puzzle missing.

"Do you want the TV on?" Sunako asked when she stood up from the couch. Noi nodded and reached blindly for it. Sunako handed it to her before leaving the television room and shutting the door. Looking down either way, she realized she didn't know where to go. After her initial exploring, she didn't learn what the different rooms were for, and she had no idea where the vampires spent most of their time.

A whistle caught her attention. Standing at the top of the staircase where they had all congregated earlier was Kyohei. "This way." He nodded his head down to the first level. Sunako followed him as he led the way. After the first floor, he took her down another hall that she had seen before but had never searched.

"What's this talk about?" She asked after a few minutes, curiosity getting the better of her.

Kyohei glanced at her over his shoulder. She could tell from the tension in his shoulders that it had been a long night for him. "Just something we would like you to fully understand." He said simply, explaining nothing.

Sunako sighed in impatience. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"What makes you think anything is going on?"

"You're all keeping secrets."

Kyohei turned around and stopped in front of her, blocking her path. "Aren't you about to get some answers?" he growled. "Besides, if we want to keep secrets, it would be our right. What makes you think you get to know everything about us?"

Sunako couldn't provide an answer, but she knew it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He was more annoyed with the events than with her, but she would have liked to have one.

"Fine." She snipped.

He glared a second more before turning back around and continuing on his way. Finally, they he opened a door and let her inside. Sitting at a small square table were the other three, with two chairs left open for them. She took a seat at one end while Kyohei took his seat next to Takenaga.

Takenaga looked at her, but it wasn't his usual calm expression. He seemed bothered by something and she wondered briefly if this was it—if she was going to die now. However, she realized how stupid the thought was a moment later. The head vampire had done nothing but try to keep her alive and away from vampires; he wouldn't kill her now.

"By now I'm sure you know Eliza is the vampire you changed our friend Ranmaru, here," He motioned to the red-haired vampire who seemed to be off in his own world.

Sunako nodded. "Did she really kill Noi's grandmother?" Ranmaru winced as if the memory literally hurt him.

Takenaga gazed at her. "It was an accident."

"For who? Noi's grandmother or Eliza?"

This seemed to make him smile a little. "Perhaps Eliza could have exercised a bit more self-control, but it's all in the past now."

Sunako remembered Noi saying that her mother had been close to Ranmaru, and taking in his reaction to her question, she wondered if that was what brought them close: his guilt that he had allowed it to happen. Or were they already close beforehand and he felt regret?

"That's sort of what we want to talk to you about," Yuki started out. "Eliza's going to be around for a little while. We just want you to know that she can be unpredictable. It's probably best if you're not alone around her."

Talking to Yuki reminded her of their earlier question. Turning to Ranmaru, she asked why he had interrupted Yuki before when he was telling Eliza why she was there.

Ranmaru looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Like Yuki said, she can be unpredictable. I don't know what she would have done with that information."

Sunako thought back to the woman she had met earlier. She didn't like people who acted like her, but there was something undeniably capturing about her.

"We just need you to stay away from her while she's here," Takenaga finished. His voice was soft and easy, but held a tone of finality to it.

She nodded, not wanting to upset him at all. "Can I leave now," she asked after a moment of silence.

Takenaga nodded and she let herself out. As she was leaving, she heard Kyohei mutter, "I could really use a good fight right now."

Looking back quickly, she saw how edgy the four seemed. It was completely different from how she usually saw them. It surprised her how one vampire, this Eliza, could cause this. It left one question in her mind above all others.

How much damage could Eliza possibly cause?

* * *

So this chapter is a bit shorter than the past three. Almost a 1,000 words shorter. Sorry about that, I know you guys like the longer chapters. I figured it would be, though. I've been sick lately and haven't been in the mood to write. Which is why this chapter probably seems so forced—it feels forced it a way. It's definitely not my favorite chapter. It does introduce Eliza (from volume 2, remember), which is important to the story. It kind of gets things rolling. She is an evil little thing. We'll have fun.

By the way, the name Ranmaru calls Sunako at the beginning of the chapter is 'little kitten.' After her knife throwing, he really can't help himself, but he's too scared to do it in a language she can understand.

I would like to thank **Bunni16** for last chapter. She's the real reason it was out before I went on a three day vacation. And she reminds me of my promise to update in a timely fashion despite school. That, and she sends me lovely PMs that make me want to update. So, three cheers for her. (By timely, I mean I've put a two week limit on how long it can take me to update this story. So if it's ever longer than two weeks, feel free to yell at me.) Along with Anitsirch and .onii-sama.

All of the reviewers are a huge encouragement. So are all the visitors, so don't think that I don't love you just because you don't review…I'd like to hear from you though…

So, yeah. Thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys make me feel good, which is good, because then I write this stuff which I hope makes you happy, and then you guys make me feel good. So it's a good circle we're in.

If you see any mistakes, let me know. It was a quick edit.

Until next time,  
K'onix.


	8. The Trused and Untrusted

Sunako turned her head when the blinding sun hit her face. Shielding her eyes, she tried to turn to see what had caused the light to enter her sacred space. Standing above her was Noi, hands on her hips. She had lifted the lip to her bed and opened her curtains.

"What are you doing?" Sunako hissed as she rolled over and pulled the blankets up.

"I have to go shopping," Noi said as she yanked the covers away. "I figured you should come with me."

Sunako groaned. "I thought I wasn't allowed to go anywhere," she said, though the idea of shopping for some good food wasn't completely unappealing.

Noi shrugged and heaved a sigh. "Yeah, well Eliza's coming over to spend some time with Ranmaru. Takenaga suggested it would be best to get you out of the house and I thought a trip into town that didn't involve those boys and their feeding habits would be nice."

Sunako lifted her head at the mention of Eliza. Thoughts of the new vampiress had kept her mind active most of the night. Knowing that she would be in the house pulled at something inside of her, making her want to stay and watch.

Sunako was about to protest the trip when something landed on her head. "You're wearing that," Noi said. She pulled the cloth away from her to examine it.

"A hoodie?" She asked.

Noi narrowed her eyes and picked up Sunako's black cloak. "Well, this wouldn't draw attention away from you. At least it's black."

Sunako looked back at the pullover sweatshirt. "It smells good," she commented casually, giving it another sniff, "I didn't think you would own something like this."

"I don't," Noi replied from inside Sunako's closet. "It's Kyohei's."

Sunako stopped sniffing and held it open in front of her. True enough, it was too large to fit Noi. Sunako thought of the vampire and winced. "Why him?"

Noi reemerged from the closet with a few articles of clothing hanging on her arms. "I can't take anything from Takenaga, I didn't think you'd like anything from Yuki's wardrobe, and I don't even want to imagine what I'd find in Ranmaru's closet." She ended with a mock shudder of horror. "That left Kyohei. He'll be annoyed but won't do anything about it. And plus, I figured you wouldn't mind his clothes. You two sort of have the same style."

Sunako wanted to roll her eyes and disagree, but there had been many times she found herself wanting to steal something of his.

"Now get out of bed or whatever that is, and get dressed." Noi motioned to the casket. "We've got to go soon."

Sunako nodded in compulsory agreement, knowing there was no way of getting out of it now. She pulled her legs over the edge and jumped down. Noi handed her a pair of black pants and a shirt. "While we're at it, I should get you new clothes. You're selection is pathetic."

Sunako sent her a fake glare. "Don't mess with my wardrobe. It's fine the way it is." She slipped the black hoodie over her shirt and pulled the hood up to cover her hair.

Noi started laughing. "You are drowning in that thing." Sunako looked down and noticed that the sweatshirt hung down to her mid-thigh and was still baggy enough not to show anything of her frame. Now that the smell was completely engulfing her, she found it ridiculous that she hadn't figured out whose shirt it was at first.

Noi handed her a pair of sunglasses. "Well, now that you're dressed, I'll grab my stuff and we'll go," she said, nodded towards the door. "She's supposed to be here in an hour so it's probably best we get going."

Sunako followed the girl down the stairs. When they reached the foyer, they found Kyohei leaning against the wall.

"Finally," he grumbled lifted himself up.

"What are you doing here?" Noi asked crossing her arms.

"Takenaga said I had to 'accompany' you two. He thinks people will recognize her."

"I provided a disguise," Noi replied, motioning to Sunako.

Kyohei snorted. "A hoodie? You think that's going to work?" He eyed Sunako again. "Wait, is that mine? You stole my jacket? You went into my room?" Kyohei pointed an accusatory finger at the blonde girl. "Thief. I'm telling!"

"What, I left the dirty magazines alone." Noi shrugged. "Anyway, we don't need you. We'll be fine on our own."

Kyohei rolled his eyes. "It's not my choice to follow you; Takenaga's orders."

Noi glared. "I didn't think you were one for taking orders."

"Honestly, girlie, what do you think you're going to do to stop me?" Kyohei smirked and opened the door.

"Fine, but you're carrying the bags. Come on, Sunako."

Sunako allowed herself to be dragged away from the mansion by the sleeve, ignoring Kyohei's complaints of them stretching his cloths. The drive was hardly quiet as the two bickered the entire way with Sunako hardly paid attention. The day was cloudy, she noted with delight looking out the windows, giving the town they were going to a slightly eerie feel to it.

"Where are we going?" Kyohei snapped, frustrated with the girl sitting beside him in the passengers seat.

"I've got to do some light grocery shopping first," Noi answered calmly, apparently done fighting, "then, after seeing Sunako's closet, I decided that it's time to buy her some cloths."

Sunako immediately started coming up with plans to disappear before the shopping commenced. She had become very good at getting away from her aunt, but Noi, Sunako feared, wouldn't be as easily fooled.

"Let the girl wear what she wants," Kyohei sighed, pulling into a shopping center and finding a parking spot.

"I will," Noi said, "but she needs more than she has. She can pick whatever she wants."

In the mirror, Sunako could see Kyohei roll his eyes again. A second later, they found hers and flashed. Sunako, positive she didn't really see anything, opened the door and started to follow Noi to the front door of the store. Before she could get too far, though, something caught her elbow and pulled her back. Turning her head, she saw the blonde head of Kyohei as he dragged her in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?" she asked while trying to find her balance.

"What does it look like? I'm saving you." He responded, authority clearly flowing through his voice.

Sunako knew it would be natural to say she didn't need him to save her or to ask what from, but she knew. She also knew that it would be easier to follow him than try and find her own way out of shopping. Instead of saying anything, she yanked her arm away from his grasp.

"I can walk on my own," she said when he turned to see what she was doing. His eyes widened when he heard her defiant tone. She lifted an eyebrow at his stare. "So lead the way."

Kyohei smirked. "Fine, then. By the way, you look ridicules in those sunglasses," he said, walking away.

Sunako reached up and fingered the dark shades covering her eyes, wondering why in bothered her.

"But you look worse without them!" He shouted a moment later. "Now, keep up."

Sunako glared. "You look worse without them," she muttered, instantly knowing it wasn't true.

It wasn't hard to catch up to him, despite the sidewalks being crowded. People seemed to move around him, leaving the path clear to follow. Looking ahead, it was as if he were parting a sea, the way pedestrians moved around him, careful not to be in his way or to touch him. Kyohei didn't seem to notice one way or another. He simply kept walking forward, eyes not focused on anything as he made his way to his destination.

"Do they know?" Sunako whispered, unable to help herself.

"You know the answer," Kyohei replied with a slight grin on his face.

Sunako thought about all that she had learned in the week she'd been with the vampires. Nothing came to mind about the town and if they knew or not. In fact, she'd never been into town—

Yuki.

The thought, the memory struck so suddenly that Sunako froze. It wasn't that she had tried to repress the day she spend with Yuki, it had just faded into the background. But the truth was she had been into town. That day, Yuki proved that the people of the town had no idea of what lived in the mansion.

Quickly catch up to Kyohei who had failed to stop, Sunako looked at the people again. It seemed almost natural, but Sunako could now tell that they forced their eyes away from him, purposely keeping them ahead as if Kyohei didn't exist.

"If they don't know about you, then why are they avoiding you?" She asked as she kept glancing around. "They didn't avoid Yuki."

Kyohei stopped walking to face her. "I'm not Yuki." He said, his grin growing into the smirk she found familiar. "We're here." He finished, nodding to the building behind her.

The sign above the doorway read, '_Wednesdays_' in spiny lettering with a large spider crawling in the corner. The windows were all painted black, leaving everything behind a surprise. Kyohei pushed past her and opened the shop's door. Sunako trailed in after him, eager to see.

The moment she entered, Sunako flashed back to opening the door to Granny's for the first time. That wave of awe and fulfillment she felt as she gasped with happiness. Remembering Granny caused the sorrow she tried to hide bubble up, but this place was larger, darker, and she felt right at home.

"I figured you liked it." Her sight landed on Kyohei who was leaning against the wall next to her. "I did some back tracking and found that shop you usually visit. I thought this might distract you from missing your family."

Sunako ducked her head. "How'd you know?"

Kyohei blinked in confusion. "Everyone misses their family." He said.

She raised her head again to say something in return, but a glint of light caught her attention. Sidetracked by what caused it, she dropped the conversation and went to explore. One thing lead to another, it seemed. The shop had everything Sunako could ever dream of, and often did. When she finally did see Kyohei again, he was sitting in what looked to be the throne of the devil, his legs thrown over one arm as he leaned against the other. With his eyes closed, his face looked like a perfect painting until a yawn ruined it.

Sunako approached him slowly. Her intention was to say thanks, but then he opened his eyes. Sunako could tell the smugness shining in them as he waited in expectance for her.

"You never answered my question," she said instead.

Kyohei's eyes dimmed. "What question?"

"Why do they avoid you?" She said, "I'm honestly curious."

The vampire sat up. "Of course you are," he growled. "They avoid me because I tend to get into fights."

Sunako waited for him to continue you. "That's it?" She asked when he didn't. "Because you get into fights?"

"Yeah, but it's never my fault."

Sunako found it hard to believe, but didn't care either way. It had nothing to do with vampires and was none of her busy.

"Thanks for bring me here," Sunako finally said, turning away before he could reply. Kyohei, however, wouldn't let her get away that easily.

"You're welcome, oh dark one," he said in a sarcastic tone. "It's this more fun than shopping for clothes."

Sunako nodded. "Yes, it is, but I did want to shop for food," she countered, "so you ruined at least half my day."

Kyohei glared. "Be careful or you'll find yourself without a disguise and a one way trip back to your aunt's."

"Noi and Takenaga would be very upset with you," Sunako laughed. "Probably Yuki, too. He seems to like me."

"He's a wimp," Kyohei shrugged, still going behind her, examining different objects as they went. "He likes most things that don't go bump in the night. He should have never been turned."

Sunako stopped. Facing him, she asked, "Are you saying you were made to be one or that you are deserving of it?"

Kyohei froze. She could see the confusion in his eyes before he realized what he had said. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"No," Sunako argued, "You said that he should have never been changed. There's a meaning behind that."

Kyohei opened his mouth to reply. Before he could, he paused, slowly moving away from her. "Wait here." He said firmly, before turning around and walking away.

Sunako watched as he disappeared around a corner. She shrugged and continued to look at the items. Moving to the next aisle, she picked up a dangerous looking dagger and inspected the design on the handle, when she felt the bitter coldness of the drop. Sunako gripped the dagger in her right hand as her left went to her necklace.

"No need to be defensive, really," a voice whispered next to her. Jumping away, she sent a quick look in the direction of the words.

The women standing there smiled sweetly. "You can put the weapon down," she said, "I have no intentions of hurting you. I have the exact opposite intentions, actually."

Sunako didn't up the dagger away. "What intentions?" For a moment, she wondered why. If this vampiress wanted to bite her, normally she would be baring her neck freely. But she was surprised to find that she wished for Kyohei to return.

"To help you," she replied. Looking around, she sighed. "I shouldn't be here. It's my life if they find out I am, so listen intently. Trust them, and no one else. Don't trust Eliza or anyone else you meet."

Sunako's intuition flickered. "Who are you?"

"My name is Elizabeth, and if you listen to me we will never meet again, which is in your best interest."

"Sunako!" She heard Kyohei shout from the other end of the aisle. He was in front of her a second later, growling.

Sunako tried to look around him but he pushed her back. "Are you hurt? What'd she do?" he asked, almost desperately.

"I'm fine," answered Sunako, still trying to see if Elizabeth was there. The space was empty.

"Are you sure?" She felt his hands searching her arms before finally landing on her neck. Sunako looked up at him, shocked at what she saw.

Anger.

Regret.

Concern.

And a million other emotions she was sure she didn't want to identify.

"What?" she whispered.

"I let my guard down," he returned. His hands gently squeezed her neck as he closed his eyes and bowed his head before her. "You could have been hurt—killed—because I wasn't paying enough attention."

"I'm fine," Sunako urged, pushing his head up. "She just said something to me."

Kyohei's eyes sparked. "What'd she say?"

Sunako thought about what to say to him. She wanted to tell him the truth, but there was a reason Elizabeth waited until he wasn't around. "That she knew I was here."

Kyohei breathed in deeply and dropped his hands. "That's not good."

"Why?"

"I have to talk to Takenaga," he muttered instead. He started walking away, grabbing her hand to drag her along behind him. Sunako eyed their hands, enjoying the coldness his offered and not caring who it came from.

They made their way back to the car, where Noi stood with her food tapping against the ground in annoyance.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting, Kyohei?" She demanded when they were close enough. "Where were you guys?"

"Not now, Noi." Kyohei said while unlocking the car. He tossed Noi the keys. "Put the things in the truck quickly, we've got to get back."

"But she's still there," Noi argued.

"We've got bigger problems." Kyohei snapped, opening the door for Sunako and all but shoving her in and shutting the door.

Noi put the bags in car and got into the back seat without another word. Kyohei pulled out of the spot quickly and made his way back up the hill.

"What's going on?"

"Eliza's not alone." Kyohei growled, still aggravated. "Elizabeth's with her."

"But that means she not just traveling around," Noi stated in an obvious tone. "It means they came here on purpose—OH!"

"Yeah."

Sunako looked between the two from her place in the passenger's seat. "Someone want to explain this to me?"

Noi looked at her. Sighing, she shook her head. "We can't. Not yet."

Sunako knew it was useless to ask why, as she already knew. Takenaga.

They made it back to the mansion in less time than it seemed to make it down. Kyohei didn't bother putting the car away, instead choosing to park in front on the curved driveway

The moment he made it to the doors and slammed one open, he called out for the dark haired master. Takenaga seemed to appear instantly from a room that led to the basement.

"What are you in a fuss about?" He asked disinterestedly.

"Eliza's been lying to us," Kyohei snarled.

Takenaga rolled his blue eyes. "I can't say I'm surprised but again, what's going on?"

"Eliza brought Elizabeth with her," Noi said from beside Sunako.

His eyes went to Sunako. "Well then, we can only prepare for the worst. I'll tell Eliza it would best if she left now."

"And never returned," Kyohei grumbled. Sunako could see the tension in his shoulders as he followed Takenaga up the stairs.

Turning to Noi, Sunako pleaded, "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Noi flashed a glance toward the direction the other left. "Eliza and Elizabeth are not similar in any way, other than two things. One, they're both vampires. And the other, they both are in Romelia's coven."

Sunako took a step back. "Eliza works with Romelia?"

"Eliza sometimes stops by because of Ranmaru, she tends to travel; it's not unusual to see her. But Elizabeth usually sticks close to Romelia."

"You said Romelia couldn't leave whatever place she was banished to, just like Takenaga."

"She can't," Noi nodded. "So logically the only reason Elizabeth would be here is if Romelia knows you're here and she's trying to get you. Or, more precisely, the blood drop."

Sunako thought back to what Elizabeth said, about not trusting Eliza. The thought that she should tell them what she said crossed her mind.

"I had a lovely time," Sunako heard the familiar purr. Looking up, she saw Eliza and Ranmaru heading down the stairs. "We've got to do this more often."

"I agree," Ranmaru replied. As they passed her and Noi, Sunako saw Eliza eye her drop before looking up at her and winking.

Even without Elizabeth's help, Sunako would have known that Eliza was not to be trusted, but having Elizabeth there seemed to comfort her anyway.

* * *

Sorry it's so late! I started a new job and with school, I'm just trying to balance it's all out. Now that I've got more of a handle on it, updates shouldn't be this far apart.

This chapter was not easy to write, I'll tell you! I had the scene I wanted in my mind, but the words would just not come. I'm not entirely happy with what's here, but I couldn't wait to update any longer—that's just mean.

So what do you think of Elizabeth? She seems good, doesn't she, but will she remain that way? Who knows (I do), but it'll be fun for you to find out, huh?

Thank you for waiting so long, for reading, and reviewing. For favorite-ing and adding to your alert lists. It all means so much.

I am also sorry for any mistakes you find. If you want, please point them out and I'll fix them.

Until next time (which will not be so long, I promise),  
Konix


	9. The Taken

Things were slowing down quickly, Sunako thought not for the first time. She realized soon after they brought her home that they were not what she expected from vampires, but the routine they had confused her even more.

Vampires were wild. Unpredictable. Careless. Recluse.

But, she accepted them as the exception. Everything has an exception. She often saw herself as an exception.

They just happen to be the boring type of exception.

The four vampires (plus one human) she had come to know had a schedule they followed, seemingly unaware that they did so.

Sunako released a heavy sight as she walked towards the backyard garden. Her time was running out, and she still didn't have a response good enough for Takenaga. Though, she suspected, after spending a month watching him, any answer she could give wouldn't be good enough for him. Nothing was worth trading this life for his.

They were at an impasse. She could say anything, and it would never be satisfactory to him. Sunako glared at nothing in particular. In one month, she would be going home and this would all seem like nothing more than a dream.

A semi-boring one, at that.

Sunako sunk slowly to the bench was quickly becoming familiar with. It seemed that the nights she wasn't inside watching a movie, she was out side of the bench contemplating her future, something she'd never really done before. Now, though, a whole new future was opened up to her. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it. It wasn't just about the blood and darkness anymore. Lately, it had become more about time.

She'd seen Yuki and Ranmaru hold a conversation in so many languages she'd lost count.

Kyohei was a master fighter of just about every style she had ever heard of.

Takenaga had a library so full of books old and new it would put any public library to shame. And she was sure he'd read every last one of them.

She may not have known a lot about her new housemates, but she knew they had all the time in the world and they knew how to use it.

Sunako wanted that now more than ever. The chance to travel the world, see it change. Learn anything and everything. Vampires didn't need to eat human food (a fact she was correct about) but she'd seen Kyohei stuff his face more than enough to know they enjoy it.

"It's a nice night," a voice interrupted her mental list. Glancing over, Sunako confirmed what she already knew.

"Yes," she agreed with the dark haired beauty.

Takenaga took his sit next to her on the bench. "I like evenings like this," he said, looking at the sky, "when everything is quiet and a person can think."

Sunako studied him intently, wishing to see what he saw and to hear what he heard. Another thing she desperately wanted.

"What do you think about?" he asked, turning to her.

"Time," Sunako replied honestly, "and how much I want it."

"You've got time."

"Not as much as you."

Takenaga lifted a brow. "True, but what would you do with all of it? Trust me, it becomes mind-numbing eventually."

"Maybe," Sunako shrugged, "but there's has to be something to do. There's too much in this world for you to have done it all by now."

Takenaga laughed. A deep, husky rumble that Sunako had never heard before. And, she assumed, neither had most of the house.

"Yes. There is much in this world."

They lapsed into silence, and Sunako held out the hope that he'd begin to think about her request more seriously now. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, questions began to fill her mind once again, one more prominent than all the rest.

"Are you going to tell me what's going to happen with the Eliza situation, or am I going to just be surprised?"

Sunako wasn't prepared for him to full direct his hypnotic gaze onto her. Suddenly, there was nothing but him and his eyes. She felt powerless and willing at the same time.

"Why do you want to know?" The words came from within her mind. They were soft and rhythmic.

Sunako found it hard to answer. "It has to do with me." In the very small part of her mind that was still hers, she started to panic.

"You know, you brought yourself here," the voice continued, lulling her into security—into safety. "Whatever happens here is your fault. You put us at risk, and yet we still protect you. Do you really think you have any right to ask questions? In fact, it would be easiest just to be rid of you; give you the thing to dream of most and start my life again. You are alive, and that is the only thing you need to know."

Swirls of blue filled her world; she could see nothing else. Then, there was a iciness. She couldn't figure out where it was centralized, only that she could feel it everywhere, and it was constantly growing, consuming her completely.

"Takenaga!" The swirls stopped and warmth returned slowly. "What are you doing?"

The world came into focus, but all Sunako could see were the bright blue eyes of Takenaga, his pupils narrowed into slits. She shivered, realizing the blues of the swirls and his eyes were the same, wondering what he'd been doing to her.

Gradually, his eyes returned to normal and he turned away from her, facing Kyohei who was standing a few meters away. "Nothing," he said, "just having a friendly conversation."

Kyohei stared wide-eyed. "Well, go have a friendly conversation with the girls Ranmaru brought back."

Sunako watched the two stare each other down, not understanding why, as it was completely out of character for the both of them.

Takenaga stood and started walking away. "We'll talk again later, Sunako. Please excuse me."

Sunako nodded dumbly, still in shock, watching his retreating figure. A growl brought her attention back to Kyohei who was now standing in front of her.

"What did he say to you?" he demanded.

Sunako tried to think back to what had been said, but found she couldn't remember any of it. It was all like a dream she'd had, simple glimpses and feelings but nothing solid.

Kyohei sighed and sat down next her. "In all this time, you haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

"Well, maybe if you all weren't so cryptic and confusing all the time," she snapped, upset about the loss of her memory. "You don't exactly make this easy."

"It's not supposed to be easy," he replied furiously. "You're the first outsider, so don't get mad at us for not knowing what to tell you and what not. We spend our entire lives trying to hide from you mortals. It hasn't been easy for us either."

Sunako wanted to reply, but found she had nothing to say. Taking a deep breathe, she tried to calm nerves. They felt as if they were jumping and buzzing everywhere, like a limp and been severed and they didn't know what to do. "What did he do to me? What haven't I figured out yet?"

Kyohei looked at her, but she was afraid to meet his eyes. "Most people don't put the pieces together, but most people don't get as close to us as you have."

"Are you talking about vampires in general or you specifically?" As disturbed as she was, Kyohei was willing to share something and she wanted to learn. Sunako wasn't going to let this pass.

"Vampires in general," he answered, shrugging. Sunako tried to think back, reviewing the time she spent with them in detail, trying to draw upon anything that could possibly mean something. So far, all signs pointed to them being vampires, but that was nothing new.

"The fangs, the coldness," he continued. "We can't stand the sun, but have you noticed how much we enjoy the warmth…"

Snakes. "Vampires are like snakes?" She asked, the pieces falling together as she remember how warm they kept the house, or how they would snuggle under blankets when watching a movie or stand under the direct light in the house.

"Have you ever looked into a snake's eyes?"

Sunako snorted. "Can't say I've had many chances to do that personally,"

Kyohei nudged her, rolling his eyes. "They capture you," he said, serious again. "Once you're in them, you can't look away. A part of you wants to, but you're sort of afraid what they'll do; they can move so fast. But another part of you just wants to know what it's thinking."

Sunako thought about what had happened with Takenaga, the filling still escaping her. All she could remember was blue.

"Some believe that the first vampires were infected from a snake bite."

"Is that what you believe?"

Kyohei shook his head. "No, but whose to say? It's one of those things that can never be determined; a story no one will ever get right. And it doesn't matter. We're here right now. There's no use understanding how it happened if understanding isn't going to fix anything."

Sunako stayed quiet, taking in his words.

"There's nothing you can do to stop them if they capture you, so try to avoid it."

"Why'd he do it?"

"One, he's thirsty, which is why Ranmaru brought two girls home instead of one."

The image of Takenaga—posed, sophisticated Takenaga—sucking on the neck of some girl filled her mind and Sunako found that it didn't fit, despite everything she'd thought of him previously.

"Two," Kyohei went on, "he's frustrated. He's been here for so long, and having drop so close as filled him with hope, but having Eliza show up changes things. All he wants is to be down with this, but he made you a promise. He has to protect you to keep that promise. Extra pressure."

Guilt filled Sunako, and the drop around her neck burned. She hadn't realized how much trouble she was causing them. Gripping the heated globule in her hand, she briefly considered just giving it to them. Maybe they'd let her stay anyway…

"But don't worry," Kyohei interrupted her musings, "we're experts on handling pressure—especially Takenaga. You should see him in action one day; it's a real sight to behold."

Sunako rolled her eyes. "If that was Takenaga under pressure, I'm not sure I want to see anymore."

Kyohei didn't reply, instead he nodded. He didn't appear to be paying any more attention to their conversation as he looked up to the sky. Weeks of staying up all night had completely adjusted her inner-clock.

"What do you see up there?" she asked.

Kyohei turned to her and smiled. "Everything."

Sunako leaned back against the bench and relaxed. Her mind of drifting, she knew, but at the moment she didn't care. Thoughts about vampires and snakes and her family and everything that had happened were slowly leaving, giving her a sense of peace. As long as she could remember, the only time she felt at peace was in her room with her movies.

"Well," Sunako turned her head at the voice and saw Noi standing with her hands on her hips, "Eliza's back—says she wants to say goodbye."

Kyohei lifted an eyebrow. "So?"

"To all of you." Kyohei opened his mouth to argue, but Noi waved him off. "Just go," she said, "so that she can leave."

The vampire rolled his eyes but got up nonetheless. He gave a small wave to the girls before taking off towards the house.

Noi waited until he was indoors before sitting down in his seat. "He likes you, you know," she said to Sunako, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"I guess," Sunako shrugged. She couldn't figure out why it would matter or bring herself to care one way or the other. It was a nice thought, though.

"No," Noi shook her head. "that's rare. Especially for him. I mean, he hardly deals with me, and I'm considered part of the family."

Sunako looked out at the garden, trying to form an understanding of what Noi was saying. "Does it really matter?"

Noi blinked. "I've never seen him act the way he does around anyone but you; you're special, Sunako."

Sunako had been called "special" before. By her parents, in that endearing way, and by her peers in that not-so endearing way. But she couldn't place what way Noi was meaning it.

Noi sighed. "It's okay if you don't get it," she said, patting Sunako on the knee, "I wouldn't either. Just be extra careful from now on."

With that comment, Noi got up and walked back to the house, leaving Sunako even more confused. The whole evening had been mystifying, from Takenaga to Kyohei, and now Noi. There was something going on underneath the surface, and Sunako wanted to know what.

She sat there for another ten minutes, thoughts of the past month roving from one thought to another. At the base of her throat where the drop sat, she felt a pulse. Then another and another. Dragged out of her thoughts by the speeding beat, she grabbed the droplet. At her touch, it heated quickly. Gasping at the burn, Sunako rapidly removed the necklace and held it out to observe from a distant.

"It's a warning."

Sunako knew she should have been surprised, as it seemed everyone was going to sneak up on her that night, but she wasn't. At the voice, she turned around, taking her fighting stance since she'd never had a flight reaction.

Standing there was the girl from the store, Elizabeth she recalled. Sunako didn't lower her arms, something her father taught her as a little girl.

"The drop," Elizabeth went on to explain, motioning towards the drop, "it's warning you that a threat is close."

Sunako had begun to understand the drop had didn't reactions for different situations, but she hadn't been able to read them easily.

Looking at the woman she'd only met a week earlier. The dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders in gentle waves. Her eyes were dark and intense; she looked every bit as a vampire as Eliza, but there was some thing softer about this vampiress.

"What's going on?" she asked defensively. There was some thing different about Elizabeth, sure, but the drop had given her a warning for a reason.

"Change of plans," Elizabeth said, coming closer to Sunako. "Sorry my counsel wasn't of help, but Romelia is very paranoid; I should have known that she would change her mind at the last second."

Sunako stayed silent. While she observed the vampiress in front of her, her mind dragged up Elizabeth's words from that day in the store.

"What's changed?" Sunako asked. She remembered Elizabeth telling her that if she'd stayed away from Eliza and only trusted them, she would be okay.

"Our orders." Elizabeth answered simply. "You should know now that this is not something I want. Rather, I am doing this for my own survival. You understand?"

Sunako briefly wondered when she got so mixed up. Four weeks ago, taking off with a vampire who surely had intentions of killing and/or changing her wouldn't have been an issue. In fact, four weeks ago she was begging a vampire to take her. Now, it was being offered and she had objections.

But then, she didn't have a choice. Elizabeth was standing next to her, grabbing her in what Sunako was sure was supposed to be gentle, and they were gone. Apart of her wanted to scream, but there was a feeling of euphoria coursing through her as they traveled down the hill.

Elizabeth growled and suddenly swerved. Opening her eyes, Sunako tried to see what was going on. Elizabeth changed direction again. This time, Sunako could tell that Elizabeth was trying to avoid the swipes of Kyohei and the others. Her carrier leap again as Ranmaru darted out of nowhere to tackle her. Sunako's exhilaration left as she realized the danger was in. She started struggling, knowing there was no way she was going to get out of Elizabeth's grip, but hopping to making it harder for her to run.

Kyohei was gaining on them and Sunako struggled harder. He reached out a hand to grab Elizabeth's shoulder. Sunako's heart filled with gratefulness that they came for her and arrogance that her vampires could out do the ones trying to kidnap her, but then Kyohei disappeared from sight. Sunako shouted out in anger as she focused on the figure of Eliza pinning Kyohei to the ground. Ranmaru and Yuki were nowhere to be found and she could no longer see Kyohei.

A feeling of doom took over. Elizabeth slowed down to a stop and Sunako struggled even more, though she wasn't sure why. She obviously couldn't fight off a vampire even if she wanted to, and again she was confused by the fact that she wanted to. Wasn't this want she originally wanted?

She found a cold hand wrapped around her throat as Elizabeth shoved her back against the rough bark of a tree. Over her shoulder, Sunako could she the dark outline of a sleek black car. Her vision blurred. She could see Eliza appear and smile.

"You make things very convenient for us," Eliza said smugly. Turning to Elizabeth, she smiled. "Do you think she'll let me keep her?"

Elizabeth didn't answer, but it wouldn't have mattered if she did. Sunako had lost consciousness anyway.

* * *

So, did you all like my disappearing act?

No?

Oh. Sorry. I'll try to work on that.

And honestly, after such a long lack of updates, I wish I could give you something better than this, but hey, at least it's something right?

So yeah, review, rant at me for my absence, correct any mistakes.

What do you think of Elizabeth and Eliza? I haven't really had the chance to get into them, but yeah…And Takenaga? He was weird in this chapter, but it seemed right when I wrote it.


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